Strait of Hormuz traffic ramps up in wake of U.S.-Iran deal signing

Traffic through the vital Strait of Hormuz saw a noticeable increase on Thursday morning, with at least 10 commercial vessels transiting the waterway. This uptick follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran, which aims to immediately reopen the strait and launch broader negotiations on contentious issues, including Tehran's nuclear program.

Despite the increased activity, the number of ships is still far below the pre-war average of approximately 135 vessels per day. Among the transiting ships were a French-flagged LNG carrier operated by QatarEnergy and a vehicle carrier owned by Italy's Grimaldi Group. Both had been among hundreds of ships stuck in the Persian Gulf since the conflict began.

Some ships, including those owned by Hong Kong and Chinese companies, continued to broadcast that they had Chinese crew onboard. This tactic was adopted early in the conflict when Iran stated it would target ships linked to the U.S. and Israel. Meanwhile, several sanctioned Iranian tankers were still en route to Iranian ports.

In parallel developments, Israel is reportedly in negotiations with the U.S. regarding its troop deployment in southern Lebanon. The U.S.-Iran agreement calls for the "permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon." Iran views the continued presence of Israeli troops in Lebanon as a violation of this clause.