Renewed military exchanges between the United States and Iran have threatened to derail the gradual recovery of commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, with fresh attacks over the past three
days raising concerns among ship operators despite a preliminary peace agreement aimed at reopening the vital waterway.
The latest strikes underscored that both Washington and Tehran remain willing to use military force to gain the upper hand in the strategically important strait, a key route for global oil and gas shipments.
The renewed tensions have left shipping companies wary of resuming normal operations despite traffic through the Strait of Hormuz recently reaching its highest levels since the conflict began, The New York Times reported.
“Shipping is literally caught in the crossfire as the US and Iran battle for control of the Hormuz Strait,” Michelle Wiese Bockmann, an analyst at maritime intelligence firm Windward, was quoted as saying.
“This does little to restore confidence that security and safety can be guaranteed to get stranded ships out,” Bockmann added.
The renewed hostilities come despite a preliminary peace agreement signed about a week ago that included provisions to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
However, the two sides have since accused each other of violating the agreement after both launched fresh strikes, marking the worst escalation since the interim deal was reached.
Washington said it struck Iranian targets overnight, while Iran said it responded by attacking targets linked to US forces.
The latest escalation followed an attack on a cargo vessel in the strait on Thursday and reports that a tanker was struck by a projectile on Saturday.
On Saturday, Bahrain, a US ally in the region, said it had been attacked by Iranian drones, apparently in retaliation for American strikes on Iran a day earlier.
The US strikes, in turn, were launched after Iran fired on the cargo vessel Ever Lovely while it was navigating the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.
The New York Times reported that the attacks have prevented the waterway from returning to normal operations.
Following the attack on the Ever Lovely, the International Maritime Organisation, a United Nations agency, halted efforts to evacuate hundreds of commercial vessels that remain stranded in the Persian Gulf.
Separately, Britain’s UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency raised its threat assessment for the Strait of Hormuz to “substantial,” citing attacks on commercial shipping.
Reuters reported that the agency said a tanker sustained damage to its bridge after being struck by a projectile, although all crew members were reported safe.
The Joint Maritime Information Centre also raised its maritime security threat level following the recent incidents.
The New York Times also cited Harry Vafias, chief executive of the shipping company StealthGas, who said one of his three vessels, stranded in the Persian Gulf for more than three months, had recently managed to leave the region.
“But the other two are still stuck, and it is too difficult for them to exit at this time,” Vafias said, adding that the “situation in Hormuz seems to be deteriorating once more.”
According to the newspaper, Iran has in recent weeks sought to establish formal control over commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz by requiring vessel operators to obtain Iranian permission before transiting the waterway and threatening ships that do not comply.
Reuters similarly reported that Iranian state television said the Revolutionary Guards had fired “warning shots” toward unspecified vessels attempting to pass through channels not approved by Tehran, prompting other ships to seek Iranian permits before crossing the strait.
It also reported that Iranian officials have warned that any violation of the country’s shipping instructions would be met decisively.
