Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to a one-week low of eight vessels on August 11, 2026, as shipowners avoided the waterway amid ongoing hostilities. The decline follows the closure of the strait by Iran after U.S.-Israeli military actions began on February 28, 2026. While U.S. President Donald Trump claims total control over the waterway via a naval blockade, Iran asserts its own control and demands Washington accept its conditions to reopen the strait.
Hormuz shipping traffic decline
- ▪LSEG data showed 11 transits through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, down from 14 transits on Monday, August 10, 2026.
- ▪According to Kpler data, the tally of vessels tracked in the Strait of Hormuz fell to a one-week low of eight on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, down from a 10-day average of about 12.
- ▪Kpler data showed 30 vessels crossed the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, exceeding the 10-day average of 25.
- ▪Prior to Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz after U.S.-Israeli attacks began on February 28, 2026, approximately 130 to 140 ships typically transited the waterway daily.
US-Iran military confrontation
- ▪U.S. and Israeli forces heavily bombed Iran's military and killed a portion of the country's leadership during a war launched on February 28, 2026.
- ▪Iran responded to U.S.-Israeli military actions with missile attacks on U.S. bases in the Middle East, Israel, and targets in U.S.-allied Gulf countries.
- ▪Iran targeted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz as a response to U.S.-Israeli military actions, disrupting the trade route and impacting the global economy.
US naval blockade claims
- ▪U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, that the United States has total control over the Strait of Hormuz and will keep it.
- ▪Iran stated that it effectively controls much of the Strait of Hormuz and intends to impose a toll system in response to the U.S. war launched on February 28, 2026.
- ▪U.S. President Donald Trump described the U.S. Naval Blockade in the Strait of Hormuz as a wall of steel that Iran cannot bypass.
Iran strait closure conditions
- ▪Tehran officials stated that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed to shipping unless the United States government accepted Iran's conditions.
- ▪Iran announced plans to impose a toll system in the Strait of Hormuz waterway in response to the U.S. war launched on February 28, 2026.
Trump political strategy shift
- ▪U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the United States is prepared to focus on blockading Iranian ports, describing the strategy to Axios as low-keying.
- ▪Amid declining domestic political popularity ahead of the November midterm congressional elections, U.S. President Donald Trump backed off threats to escalate the war with Iran.
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