Hormuz Traffic at Standstill After Iran Abruptly Ends Reopening

Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is at a virtual standstill after a brief and confused reopening over the weekend ended with the first US seizure of an Iranian vessel — underscoring just how difficult it will be to restore activity in the vital strait.

Transits through the waterway have reduced to a trickle over seven weeks of war in the Persian Gulf, as Iran tightens control in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes. On Friday, that paralysis appeared to be at an end as Iran and the US announced a reopening, prompting oil to plunge and vessels to rush for the crossing — only for the situation to rapidly unravel.