Hormuz traffic falls to five-week low after US-Iran strikes

Maritime traffic through the critical Strait of Hormuz fell to a five-week low on Sunday, July 12, 2026, as renewed military strikes between the United States and Iran heightened security risks for commercial shipping. Only six vessels transited the narrow waterway that day, according to ship-tracking data, marking the weakest daily flow since early June.

The slowdown followed a new wave of U.S. military action. U.S. Central Command stated that American forces struck dozens of Iranian military targets on Sunday using precision munitions. In response, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Monday, July 13, that it had attacked U.S. facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain. The Guards also claimed its naval forces had stopped two ships in the Strait of Hormuz overnight by disabling their systems, though it did not identify the vessels.

Conflicting declarations about the status of the strait added to the uncertainty. Iran stated it had closed the waterway after a vessel traveled on an unauthorized route near Oman's coast and was struck. U.S. President Donald Trump countered on Sunday, asserting that the Strait of Hormuz remained open to commercial traffic.

Despite the tensions, some oil...