Hormuz shipping collapses to lowest since May as US, Iran engage in tanker war
Commodity vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz have fallen to an average of 10 per day—down roughly 90% from pre-conflict baselines—after U.S. forces struck Iranian oil tankers and Iran targeted vessels it said were using unauthorized routes.
Quick summary
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has collapsed to an average of 10 commodity vessels per day over the past 10 days, the lowest level since May, following a U.S. strike on three Iranian oil tankers off Kharg Island and Iranian attacks on tankers transiting what Tehran called an unauthorized route. Only two vessels transited the strait on Saturday and six on Sunday, with no very large crude carrier exiting Hormuz since Wednesday. Brent crude settled around $97.31 per barrel on September 7 after touching about $98.06, with Brent rising roughly 8% and WTI nearly 10% over the prior week as the U.S. and Iran resume direct strikes on shipping. Multiple outlets describe the confrontation as a tanker war, with vessel operators rerouting or delaying voyages and AIS-detected transits running approximately 90% below pre-conflict baseline levels.
Key points
- Hormuz traffic has dropped to an average of 10 commodity ships per day, the lowest since May, after U.S. and Iranian strikes on tankers.
- U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers off Kharg Island in response to earlier Revolutionary Guard attacks on U.S. warships.
- Iran said its forces targeted three oil tankers using an unauthorized route in Hormuz, plus three U.S.-linked vessels elsewhere.
- No very large crude carrier has exited the strait since Wednesday, reflecting heightened security risks.
- Brent settled around $97.31 on September 7, gaining about 8% over the week, while WTI rose nearly 10%.
- AIS-detected transits are approximately 90% below pre-conflict baseline levels, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations.
How it unfolded
- New
War begins
The US and Israel launch Operation Epic Fury. Ali Khamenei is killed in the opening strikes.
- Changed
Ceasefire reached, then collapses
The first attempt to halt the fighting does not hold.
- Changed
Second attempt fails
A new memorandum of understanding fails to produce a lasting halt to the conflict.
- New
Operation Economic Outcast
Washington targets more than 60 Iran-linked entities with new sanctions.
- New
Hormuz corridor proposed
Iran and Oman propose a temporary shipping corridor through the strait, as Qatar also pursues mediation.
- ChangedContested
Strait declared cleared
CENTCOM announces that Iranian-placed mines have been cleared from the Strait of Hormuz.
- New
US strike on Larak Island
US forces strike two IRGC rocket-launcher positions, saying they posed an imminent threat to shipping.
- New
Iran responds
The IRGC confirms casualties, condemns the attack and promises retaliation.
- NewContested
New escalation
Iran launches retaliatory missiles and drones toward US bases in Jordan and the UAE. Jordan reports intercepting eight missiles.
- New
Economic impact
Brent crude rises above $90 as markets react to renewed escalation.
- New
Iran appeals for interim deal compliance
Iran urges the US to comply with what it describes as an interim deal, while Trump threatens further strikes.
- New
US launches new strikes near Hormuz
The United States launches a new barrage of airstrikes on Iranian targets around the Strait of Hormuz.
- New
Brent crude hits intraday high near $99
Brent surged to about $99.38 per barrel before settling in the $95–$97 range as markets priced in heightened supply risk.
- New
Iran strikes Kuwait
Iran launched missiles and drones at Kuwait, expanding Operation Punishment of the Aggressor.
- New
US carries out second round of strikes
The United States hit Iranian radar, missile and mine-laying infrastructure in a second wave in three days.
- New
Hormuz transits fall to single digits
Tanker flows through the strait dropped to as few as six vessels on recent days, versus a rolling average near 13.
- New
U.S. strikes Iranian tankers off Kharg Island
U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers off Kharg Island in response to earlier Revolutionary Guard attacks on U.S. warships.
- New
Iran attacks tankers for using unauthorized route
Iran said its forces targeted three oil tankers using an unauthorized route in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as three U.S.-linked vessels elsewhere.
- New
Hormuz traffic collapses to 10-day average of 10 vessels
Commodity vessel transits averaged 10 per day over 10 days, the lowest since May. Only two transited on Saturday and six on Sunday.
- New
No VLCC has exited Hormuz since Wednesday
No very large crude carrier has left the strait since Wednesday, reflecting intensified security risks.
- New
Brent touches six-week high near $98
Brent crude settled around $97.31 after an intraday high of about $98.06. Brent rose roughly 8% over the prior week and WTI nearly 10%.
Claim tracker
35 confirmed · 7 contested · 5 unverified
- Confirmed
The US struck IRGC positions on Larak Island.
- Confirmed
Iran subsequently launched retaliatory attacks on US bases in Jordan and the UAE.
- Confirmed
Previous ceasefire attempts failed.
- Confirmed
The US and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury on February 28.
- Confirmed
The Larak Island strike was the first known US strike on Iranian territory since late July.
- Confirmed
Trump has threatened further strikes against Iran.
- Confirmed
The conflict had shifted into an economic standoff before the Larak Island strike.
- Confirmed
Three Iranian soldiers were killed in the Larak Island strike.
- Confirmed
Iran's retaliation was named Operation Punishment of the Aggressor.
- Confirmed
Iran struck US assets in Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq in addition to Jordan.
- Confirmed
The US launched new airstrikes on Iranian targets around the Strait of Hormuz after the Larak Island attack.
- Confirmed
Brent crude climbed to around $95 per barrel.
- Confirmed
Oil prices are more than 30% above pre-war levels.
- Confirmed
There was more than 30 days of relative calm before the Larak Island strike.
- Confirmed
The June Memorandum of Understanding declared an end to fighting but deferred key disputes.
- Confirmed
About 20% of the world's oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Confirmed
Brent crude hit an intraday high near $99.38 per barrel on September 3.
- Confirmed
Iran launched missile and drone strikes on Kuwait on September 3.
- Confirmed
The US carried out a second round of strikes in three days targeting Iranian radar, missile and mine-laying capabilities.
- Confirmed
Tanker transits through the Strait of Hormuz have fallen to single digits on recent days.
- Confirmed
Brent is heading for its biggest weekly gain since July.
- Confirmed
WTI rose toward $92 per barrel.
- Confirmed
Trump suggested the bombing campaign might not last 'too long.'
- Confirmed
U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers off Kharg Island.
- Confirmed
The U.S. tanker strikes were in response to earlier Revolutionary Guard attacks on U.S. warships.
- Confirmed
Iran targeted three oil tankers using an unauthorized route in the Strait of Hormuz.
- Confirmed
Iran targeted three U.S.-linked vessels elsewhere.
- Confirmed
Hormuz traffic averaged 10 commodity vessels per day over the past 10 days.
- Confirmed
Only two vessels transited the strait on Saturday and six on Sunday.
- Confirmed
No very large crude carrier has exited Hormuz since Wednesday.
- Confirmed
AIS-detected transits are approximately 90% below pre-conflict baseline levels.
- Confirmed
Brent crude settled around $97.31 per barrel on September 7.
- Confirmed
Brent touched an intraday high of about $98.06 on September 7.
- Confirmed
Brent rose roughly 8% over the prior week.
- Confirmed
WTI gained nearly 10% over the prior week.
- Contested
The Strait of Hormuz is under US control.
- Contested
The number of Iranian military and civilian casualties is established.
- Contested
Iran's retaliatory missiles were successfully intercepted.
- Contested
The scale of the oil-price reaction is agreed.
- Contested
Iran's nuclear programme has been set back 8–12 years.
- Contested
The US military and economic cost of the campaign is known.
- Contested
Iranian strikes turned US bases in the Persian Gulf 'to ashes' and inflicted heavy casualties.
- Unverified
An Iranian attack on shipping was imminent, as the US stated.
- Unverified
Kharg Island was under attack, as depicted in an AI-generated clip posted by Trump.
- Unverified
There is an interim deal between the US and Iran that Iran wants the US to comply with.
- Unverified
The rocket launchers on Larak Island were attempting to disperse sea mines.
- Unverified
The US struck two Iranian government-owned tankers.
What we still don't know
- What is the nature and content of the interim deal Iran is referencing?
- Whether an Iranian attack from Larak Island was actually imminent.
- The verified casualty toll from Iranian retaliatory strikes—BankingNews claims heavy casualties while earlier Jordan reports said none.
- The extent of infrastructure damage to US bases across the region.
- Whether further Iranian or US strikes will follow, and how long the current bombing campaign will last.
- The true extent of damage to Iran's nuclear programme.
- What activities were underway at the Larak Island launcher sites—imminent attack or mine dispersal?
- Whether the ceasefire framework is effectively ended.
- What reciprocal steps Iran expects from the US under the June Memorandum of Understanding.
- The exact number of tanker transits through Hormuz and whether any have been directly attacked.
- The impact of high oil and diesel prices on the US and global economy.
- What criteria Iran is using to define an 'unauthorized route' through the Strait of Hormuz.
- The extent of damage to the three Iranian oil tankers struck by U.S. forces off Kharg Island.
- The identity and flag of the tankers Iran says it targeted for using unauthorized routes.
- Whether any vessels have been sunk or crew injured in the escalating tanker war.
- How long shipping operators will continue to avoid or delay Hormuz transits.
- The pre-conflict baseline for Hormuz traffic—sources cite both 13–15 vessels and 85 per day.
US–Israel war with Iran
- US strike on Larak Island triggers Iranian retaliation
- Trump threatens further strikes as Iran appeals for compliance with interim deal
- US launches new strikes around Strait of Hormuz; Iran expands retaliation beyond Jordan
- Brent crude hits intraday high near $99, settles around $96–$97 as Iran strikes expand to Kuwait
- US destroys five Iranian oil tankers after IRGC missile attack on warships
- Brent crude breaks $100 as US strikes five more Iranian tankers and Hormuz traffic falls to six vessels
- Brent crude surges to $105.26 as Iran claims attack on 10 vessels near Hormuz
- Hormuz shipping traffic collapses to seven vessels as oil prices hold above $100
- Brent crude breaks $108 as new strikes hit Iranian ship and Saudi pipeline
- Hormuz traffic collapses to four vessels as Brent holds above $107
- Brent jumps to $108–$109 as Saudi East–West pipeline shut down
- Brent retreats below $105 as Aramco targets partial pipeline restart within days
- Saudi Aramco suspends crude deliveries to India as pipeline repairs begin
Sources analysed
7 outlets in the analysed roster.
- Reuters — Hormuz traffic dips to lowest since May after US, Iranian strikes on ships
- Ground News — Iran Again Attacked Gulf Countries. Oil Is Climbing Further.
- Iran International — Hormuz shipping falls to lowest level since May after tanker strikes
- Al Jazeera — US, Iran engaged in tanker war: Where is the months-long conflict headed?
- Straits Daily Brief — Strait of Hormuz Status: September 6, 2026 | Straits Daily Brief
- Middle East Eye — Maritime traffic through Hormuz significantly reduced, UKMTO says
- Reuters — Oil prices rise to six-week highs on worsening Middle East tensions