Strait of Hormuz shipping traffic edges up as US-Iran standoff persists

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz rose slightly on Wednesday, with 10 visible commodity vessel transits recorded, up from eight on Tuesday, according to data from Kpler. This remains below the 10-day moving average of about 15 vessels. The increase occurred amid a persistent US-Iran geopolitical standoff, with markets also monitoring ongoing Iran-Oman talks about the waterway. Vessel movements included fuel tankers, a liquefied petroleum gas carrier, and bulk carriers entering and exiting the strait. Iran and Oman are still finalizing an agreement on the strait, a senior Iranian source said Wednesday. Meanwhile, traffic at the Bab el-Mandeb strait slowed for a second day, with some vessels possibly uncounted due to transponders being turned off.