Strait of Hormuz traffic slows amid rising tensions
Shafaq News- Middle East
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz slowed on Monday, with only three vessels crossing over a 12-hour period.
According to satellite imagery and data from platforms including Kpler and SynMax, the sanctioned oil products tanker Nero exited the Gulf and continued through the strait, while a chemical tanker and a liquefied petroleum gas carrier also transited the waterway.
The slowdown follows rising tensions after Iran threatened retaliation over the seizure of its cargo vessel TOUSKA in the Gulf of Oman. Iranian officials described the incident as “armed maritime piracy,” noting that US forces opened fire in international waters, disabled the vessel’s navigation systems, and boarded it while en route from China to Iran.
US President Donald Trump, on April 19, claimed that the US Navy had taken control of the vessel after it failed to comply with orders to halt near the Strait of Hormuz.
