Commercial vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell sharply on Sunday, dropping to just five ships after Iran announced it had once again closed the strategic waterway.
The decline follows Tehran's accusation that the United States was responsible for a recent attack on Iranian vessels, prompting the renewed closure declaration.
Maritime intelligence firm Windward reported that shipping through the strait stalled over the weekend in response to the announcement.
Maritime intelligence firm Windward reported that shipping through the strait stalled over the weekend in response to the announcement.
The drop in traffic underscores the tangible disruption risk to global energy flows, as the strait remains the world's most important oil choke point.
The development adds to ongoing geopolitical pressure on trade routes, with the volume of commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz declining markedly following Tehran's renewed declaration.
While industry trackers showed Iranian tankers have continued to sail through the strait in recent days, the latest closure threat has caused immediate hesitation among commercial operators.