US redirects 110 vessels in Hormuz Strait amid escalating attacks on shipping
The redirection comes as an LPG tanker was hit by projectile debris in the strait and Iran's crude exports remain blocked.
Published
Chart: USO, a fund that tracks crude, daily closes either side
The United States has redirected 110 commercial vessels transiting the Hormuz Strait as of September 21.
The move follows weeks of escalating attacks on shipping in the strait. An LPG tanker was struck by debris from an unknown projectile there, and Saudi Arabia's pipeline bypass around the strait has been shut down.
More than 1 billion barrels of oil have moved through the Hormuz Strait in recent months, even as Iran has shipped none, amid a blockade that has halted Iranian crude exports. Iran has told the US, through Qatar, what conditions it wants met to end the war, and is waiting on a response from Trump, who has said he is willing to use force in the region.
The scale of the redirection points to a shipping lane that remains functionally constrained despite US efforts to keep it open, with only a handful of vessels transiting daily. That squeeze is feeding energy price pressure and supply chain risk, conditions that tend to favour commodities and inflation hedges.