Ships begin trickling through Strait of Hormuz after US-Iran deal

Traffic has begun to resume in the Strait of Hormuz after a tentative US-Iran deal reopened the critical shipping route, but the recovery is still cautious and far from normal.

A handful of vessels have started crossing again, according to the reporting packet, including the Malta-flagged Disha gas tanker. President Donald Trump said ships were starting to move and described the waterway as “partially open,” but industry reporting suggests many operators remain reluctant to restore ordinary schedules.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints. Before the disruption, roughly 130 ships used the strait each day and the route carried about 20% of global oil, according to the reporting cited in the packet.

A limited restart

The first signs of renewed movement appeared over the past few days as the US-Iran deal took shape. The timeline in the research packet places the initial agreement announcement on June 14, with limited ship movements reportedly beginning on June 15.

By June 16, AP reported that allies were discussing a defensive naval mission to help clear mines and possibly escort commercial ships through the strait. On the same day, Trump said ships were starting to move. The Times reported that he said the strait was “partially open” and that a fuller deal was expected to be signed later in the week.

That still leaves the reopening at an early stage. The available reporting points to a real but narrow resumption rather than a broad return to pre-conflict traffic.

Why recovery is slow

The biggest obstacle is confidence. Shipping companies, insurers and crews need more than a political announcement before they treat the route as safe. The Financial Times reported that the world’s largest tanker operator said the deal would have to be “material” before transits resume normally.

The FT also reported that about 500 merchant vessels remain stranded in the Gulf, underscoring the size of the backlog. That congestion means even a steady flow of new crossings would take time to unwind the queue.

A New York Post report said only a handful of ships had crossed since Sunday, including the Disha. It also quoted a Kpler analyst estimating that clearing the backlog could take about 30 days at 15 ships per day, and roughly eight weeks in total.

Those estimates are consistent with the broader caution in the market. MarketWatch reported that oil prices fell after the peace announcement, but tanker traffic through the strait remained minimal and operational risk continued to deter shipping.

Security and next steps

Security assurances are still central to the reopening. AP said France and Britain are among the countries discussing a defensive maritime mission that could include demining and escorting commercial ships through the strait.

That proposal highlights the gap between diplomatic progress and operational normality. Even if the US-Iran deal holds, shipping firms may wait for clearer protection before sending more vessels through the channel in volume.

For now, the Strait of Hormuz appears to be reopening in stages: ships are moving again, but slowly, and the route remains well below normal capacity.

The next developments to watch are the formal signing of the deal, whether more vessels begin transiting on a sustained basis, whether an allied escort mission is launched, and how quickly insurers restore standard coverage terms.