Hormuz traffic slows after Iran threatens retaliation for US attacks

The number of commodity vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz fell to seven on September 7 from eight the previous day, after Iran threatened to retaliate against any new US attacks, according to Kpler’s data.

Iran had warned that energy infrastructure across the Gulf, including US oil and gas interests, could be targeted, Caliber.Az reports, citing Reuters.

Goldman Sachs also raised its forecasts for Brent and West Texas Intermediate crude prices for December 2026 and 2027, citing expectations that shipping disruptions in the Middle East will persist into next year.

However, traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, another major waterway for commodity vessels, increased.

Kpler data showed that 29 commodity vessels passed through the Bab el-Mandeb on Monday, up from 17 the previous day.

Some vessels may have been transiting the two straits with their transponders switched off, meaning they would not be included in the counts.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov