Capitals, July 14 (SANA) Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz slowed to a near standstill early Tuesday as military tensions between the United States and Iran intensified, prompting renewed European calls to safeguard freedom of navigation and sending oil prices to their highest level in four weeks.
Bloomberg, citing ship-tracking data, reported that commercial vessel traffic through the strategic waterway had nearly halted.
The slowdown followed an attack on two UAE-flagged tankers, Mombasa and Al Bahiyah, which the UAE Ministry of Defense said were struck by two Iranian cruise missiles in the southern shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz within Omani territorial waters. The attack killed one Indian crew member and injured eight others.
The latest developments came after the U.S. military launched a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets for the third consecutive night, saying the operation was intended to reduce Iran’s ability to target commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
As the confrontation between Washington and Tehran entered a new phase of escalation, Iran expanded its attacks to include the territory of several Arab countries in addition to vessels operating in the Gulf.
Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced it would resume enforcing a naval blockade on maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday.
In a statement posted on X, CENTCOM said U.S. forces would enforce the blockade on vessels traveling to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas while continuing to support the safe passage of ships that comply with the blockade measures.
CENTCOM said the renewed blockade follows similar measures implemented between April 13 and June 18, during which more than 140 compliant vessels were rerouted, nine non-compliant vessels were intercepted, and more than 50 humanitarian cargo ships were permitted to transit.
The escalating security situation pushed global oil prices higher. Reuters reported that Brent crude futures rose $1.68, or 2%, to $84.98 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained $1.65, or 2.1%, to $79.79 a barrel. Brent had already surged 9.6% in the previous session, its largest daily gain since May 2020.
Amid the escalation, European Union foreign ministers called for preserving freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and consolidating the ceasefire, while urging Israel to halt what they described as illegal settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territories.
According to the EU’s official website, ministers meeting in Brussels said the Middle East was facing a dangerous cycle of retaliatory attacks and a fragile ceasefire. They described attacks on commercial vessels as a blatant violation of international law and reiterated that Iran must not acquire nuclear weapons in order to preserve regional security and stability.
The developments underscore growing international concern over the security of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy transit routes, as the conflict between the United States and Iran continues to threaten global shipping, oil supplies and regional stability.
T.S /ABD
