Strait of Hormuz daily ship crossings collapse to below 20 amid escalating tensions

The Strait of Hormuz is having a rough month. Iranian Armed Forces have moved to restrict vessel traffic through the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, with enforcement actions ranging from blacklisting tankers to physically stopping ships attempting to transit. The squeeze on traffic has been severe. Daily vessel crossings, which averaged around 130 ships before the current crisis, have dropped to fewer than 20 during peak-tension periods. That is an 85% collapse in throughput at a chokepoint responsible for roughly 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. What Iran is actually doing in the strait The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy has been the primary enforcement arm. Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which operates under IRGC oversight, issued a blacklist of 45 tankers on August 25, citing violations of transit regulations. The consequences for ships on that list include fines and cargo confiscations, giving Tehran real economic leverage over shipping companies operating in the region. Beyond paperwork, the IRGC has also used kinetic measures. The corps documented stopping four vessels in late July using warning shots....