Major shipping companies are refusing to participate in a US military-guided transit scheme through the Strait of Hormuz, citing heightened safety risks following a wave of Iranian attacks on commercial vessels.
Seven maritime security sources confirmed that operators are opting out of the convoy system, effectively leaving the critical chokepoint without a coordinated protection mechanism for merchant traffic.
The decision by shippers to bypass the US-led initiative exacerbates the existing paralysis in the strait, where commercial vessel traffic has already ground to a halt.
With no viable alternative route for the majority of global oil and LNG shipments, the refusal to join military convoys signals a breakdown in the operational framework intended to keep trade flowing amid escalating hostilities.
This development follows a series of US-Iranian military strikes earlier this week that shattered preliminary peace efforts.
US Central Command recently denied Iranian state media claims that a US warship had been struck and forced to retreat, asserting that no US Navy ships had been hit.