A US-Iran deal intended to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within days left many of the world’s top shipowners, traders and oil producer nations seeking clarity about the terms of the pact that’s pivotal to the global economy.
Non-Iranian oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz have surged by about 50% so far this month, as more Persian Gulf producers find ways of transiting the waterway despite continued tension between Washington and Tehran.
ULSAN, SOUTH KOREA - JUNE 10: The oil tanker Universal Winner, described as the first South Korean vessel to exit the Strait of Hormuz after being stranded there since the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East, arrives at the port of Ulsan, South Korea, on June 10, 2026, to unload crude oil. (Photo by Hwawon Ceci Lee/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A third tanker carrying Indian crew was struck by American forces in the Gulf of Oman this week, intensifying concerns over maritime trade security as the conflict escalates in the Middle East.
STRAIT OF HORMUZ - 2 OCTOBER 2024: Satellite view of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global energy supply, connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. This vital maritime route facilitates the transportation of goods, including oil and natural gas, between the Middle East and the rest of the world. (Photo by Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2025)
The US military fired at an empty tanker for its suspected involvement in the Iranian oil trade this week as Washington continues to enforce a blockade of the Islamic Republic’s ports.
The world’s shipowners have placed orders for a record number of new oil supertankers, surpassing a boom back in 2008 that ultimately led to a glut and a collapse in rates.
Iran struggled to get energy exports past the US Navy’s blockade last month, with around 80 million barrels of oil and petrochemicals stranded in waters behind the line, according to a US non-profit advisory group.
US Marines board an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in May. Source: US Marine Corps.
Iran struggled to get energy exports past the US Navy’s blockade last month, with around 80 million barrels of oil and petrochemicals stranded in waters behind the line, according to a US non-profit advisory group.
US Marines board an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in May. Source: US Marine Corps.
Dynacom Tankers Management, one of the few oil tanker owners to have braved the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran war, said US President Donald Trump has been a good news for shipping.
Vessels sail at Suru Beach in Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz, in an image ffrom Iran's ISNA news agency, on June 1.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. has been quietly ferrying oil and gas shipments out of the Persian Gulf using its own fleet, apparently clearing both the Iranian navy and US warships to reach energy-starved customers.
Some 23 tankers have been spotted around Iran’s principal oil-export hub, the largest cluster to have gathered at the island since the US Navy began a blockade on the country’s ports a month ago, interdicting and seizing ships.
An unidentified vessel (circled in yellow) was seen berthed at the southeastern jetty on Iran's Kharg Island on May 16, as other crude-loading berths remain empty.
A Vietnam-bound supertanker carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude, which was halted by US forces days ago after crossing the Strait of Hormuz, has resumed its journey.
Agios Fanourios I resumed its voyage after idling in the Gulf of Oman.
Iran seized a Chinese-owned ship that’s one of a handful of so-called floating armories that operate in the region, according to two maritime security consultants who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive information.
A ship transits through the Persian Gulf in Kish Island, Iran.
The number of supertankers hauling unsanctioned oil through the Strait of Hormuz has shown signs of rising in recent days, offering limited relief to an oil market that’s suffered the largest supply disruption in history.
Tankers anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, in a photo from Iran’s ISNA news agency on May 2.
India has condemned an attack that set a cargo vessel ablaze before sinking it in the Gulf of Oman early on Wednesday, calling the incident “unacceptable.”
The Strait of Hormuz, between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, as seen from the International Space Station. The Strait of Hormuz runs between Iran and United Arab Emirate. Source: Getty Images
Two India-bound vessels carrying cooking fuel from the Persian Gulf have transited the Strait of Hormuz, taking the number of large ships carrying oil, fuel and gas that have made it through the waterway since Sunday to ten.
A Japanese supertanker has emerged in the Gulf of Oman after last signaling that it was inside the Persian Gulf, indicating a rare, undercover transit through the Strait of Hormuz by a vessel from the Asian country.
A satellite image of the Strait of Hormuz between southern Iran and Oman's Musandam Peninsula. Source: maps4media/Getty Images North America
A liquefied petroleum gas carrier, which has previously ferried Iranian cargoes, has sailed past the blockade boundary announced last month by the US Navy.
A Chinese oil supertanker appears to have exited the Strait of Hormuz as it sails toward an area where the US has enforced a blockade, ahead of talks between US President Donald Trump and counterpart Xi Jinping.
A Chinese oil supertanker appears to have exited the Strait of Hormuz as it sails toward an area where the US has enforced a blockade, ahead of talks between US President Donald Trump and counterpart Xi Jinping.
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