US-Iran Ceasefire Fails to Ease Hormuz Shipping Limits

A fragile two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran has failed to restore normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, leaving global energy markets on edge as only a handful of vessels navigate the vital waterway each day. The agreement, announced on April 7 by President Donald Trump, aimed to pause hostilities that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, but traffic remains severely curtailed under Iranian controls.

Under the truce, brokered by Pakistan, Iran has limited passages to fewer than 15 ships per day, requiring prior approval from its armed forces and adherence to specific protocols supervised by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. A senior Iranian official told Russia's TASS news agency that this framework signals no return to pre-conflict conditions, with transits contingent on Iran's consent. Data from maritime trackers like Kpler and S&P Global Market Intelligence show just five vessels, including three tankers, crossed on April 9, down from 11 the day before and a fraction of the 120 to 140 daily transits typical before the war. More than 600 ships, including 325 tankers, remain stranded in the Gulf, according to Lloyd's List...