Tankers cross Strait of Hormuz during brief Iran reopening

After a brief signal from Tehran that the Strait of Hormuz was open again, at least eight oil and gas tankers moved through the vital waterway, according to maritime tracking data, offering a fleeting glimpse of relief before Iran appeared to tighten control once more.

Data from tracking firm Kpler showed that one crude oil tanker, four liquified petroleum gas carriers, two oil and chemical tankers and one vessel classified as an “oil products” ship crossed the strait following the Iranian announcement yesterday afternoon.

In peacetime, roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and liquified natural gas flows through the strait. But traffic had slowed almost to a halt after war broke out on 28 February with US and Israeli strikes on Iran.

MarineTraffic data showed several other crude oil tankers nearing the strait before turning back close to Iran’s Larak Island, a checkpoint for vessels attempting to leave the Gulf under the Iranian forces’ wartime blockade of the passage.

By this morning, however, Iran’s central military command appeared to walk back the reopening, saying it would reimpose “strict management” of the strait in response to a US naval counter-blockade.

Iran’s closure of the passage has left hundreds of ships stranded in the Gulf, while sending oil prices and shipping costs sharply higher as captains steer clear of the area over fears of mines or attack.

At least three of the vessels tracked leaving through the strait today were listed under US sanctions.

Some ships moving through the chokepoint signalled destinations linked to India or China, apparently as a sign of neutrality.

MarineTraffic also showed a small number of other cargo vessels in the strait early this morning, including several container ships carrying the name of major French shipping group CMA CGM.

It further indicated that a cruise ship, the Celestyal Discovery, became the first passenger vessel to pass through the strait since the conflict began.

The ship sailed close to Oman’s coast yesterday afternoon after spending about 47 days docked in the UAE.

“Reports indicate the vessel is sailing without passengers,” Marine Traffic said in a post on X.

The reopening announced yesterday had already been met with caution across the shipping industry.

“The status of mine threats in (Iran’s maritime) traffic separation scheme is unclear,” Jakob Larsen, chief security officer of major shipping association BIMCO, said in a statement emailed to AFP.

“BIMCO believes shipping companies should consider avoiding the area.”

In a statement carried on state television, Iran’s central military command accused the United States of reneging on a promise by maintaining its naval blockade on ships travelling to and from Iranian ports.

Until the United States restores freedom of movement for all vessels visiting Iran, “the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will remain strictly controlled,” the statement said.

‘Some pretty good news’ – Trump

Hours earlier, US President Donald Trump had pointed to “some pretty good news” involving Iran, though he declined to give details. He also said hostilities could resume if no peace deal is reached by Wednesday.

The war with Iran has killed thousands, expanded into Israeli attacks in Lebanon and driven oil prices higher because of the effective shutdown of the strait.

It remained uncertain whether high-level US-Iran talks would resume, or whether the two sides could bridge differences over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, a central obstacle in negotiations.

“It seems to be going very well in the Middle East with Iran,” Mr Trump told reporters on Air Force One while returning to Washington from Phoenix, Arizona.

“We’re negotiating over the weekend. I expect things to go well. Many of these things have been negotiated and agreed to.

“The main thing is that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. You cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon, and that supersedes everything else.”

Donald Trump said the US would remove Iran’s stockpiles of enriched uranium

Yet in ‌sharp contrast, he said he could scrap the ceasefire with Iran unless a longer-term ⁠agreement to end the war is secured before it expires on Wednesday, while adding that the US blockade of Iranian ports would stay in place.

Calls for an exit from the conflict have intensified as Mr Trump’s fellow Republicans try to defend slim congressional majorities ahead of the November midterm elections, with US gasoline prices elevated, inflation climbing and the president’s approval ratings slipping.

Mr Trump has said there would probably be more direct talks between Iran and the US this weekend.

Some diplomats said that seemed unlikely, given the practical difficulty of assembling in Islamabad, where the talks are expected to be held.

Early this morning, there were no visible signs of preparations for negotiations in the Pakistani capital, where the highest-level US-Iran talks since the 1979 Islamic Revolution ended without agreement last weekend.

The US proposed a 20-year suspension of all Iranian nuclear ⁠activity at the talks in Pakistan

Pakistan’s key mediator, army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, has wrapped up three days of talks in ‌Tehran, the Pakistani military said.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was also on his way back to Islamabad after meetings this week in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

A Pakistani source familiar with mediation efforts said a meeting between Iran and the United States could yield an initial memorandum of understanding, to be followed by a comprehensive peace agreement within 60 days.

Adding to the uncertainty, Iran’s parliament speaker and senior ⁠negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, wrote on social media that the Strait of Hormuz “will not remain open” if the US blockade continued.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi had said on social media that the strait would remain open to all commercial vessels for the rest of ‌the 10-day truce agreed on Thursday by Israel and Lebanon.

Lebanon was pulled into the wider Middle East conflict on 2 March, when the Tehran-backed Hezbollah attacked Israel in retaliation for the death of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Iran has said all ⁠ships transiting the strait must ‌coordinate with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a requirement that did not apply before the war.

The Defence Ministry said in a statement broadcast by state television that military vessels and ships linked to “hostile forces” – the US and Israel – were still barred from passage.

Disputes over Iran’s nuclear programme remained unresolved, with Tehran insisting it has the right to pursue what it describes as a civilian nuclear energy programme.

Mr Trump said the US would remove Iran’s stockpiles of enriched uranium. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told state TV the material would not be transferred anywhere.

Separately, ⁠a senior Iranian official said Tehran hoped a preliminary agreement could be reached in the coming days.

Oil prices dropped about 10% and global stocks surged yesterday on hopes that marine traffic through the strait would resume.

After a video conference yesterday, more than a ⁠dozen countries said they were ready to join an international mission to safeguard shipping in the strait when conditions allow, the UK said.

A senior Iranian official said the accord included an agreement to unfreeze billions of dollars in Iranian assets, though no timeline was given.

Mr Trump, who has repeatedly described a peace agreement as a “deal” or “transaction,” told a rally in Arizona last night that “no money will exchange hands in any way, shape or form.”

At last weekend’s talks, the US proposed a 20-year suspension of all Iranian nuclear activity, while Iran put forward a halt of three to five years, according to people familiar with the proposals.

Two Iranian sources have said there were signs a compromise could be reached that would remove part of the stockpile.

Mr Trump told Reuters the US might not move quickly. “We’re going to go in with Iran, at a nice leisurely pace, and go down and start excavating with big machinery,” he said in a phone interview. “We’ll bring it back to the United States.”

For all his ‌optimism, Iranian sources told Reuters that “gaps remained to be resolved” before any preliminary agreement could be reached, while senior clerics struck a defiant note during Friday prayers.

“Our people do not negotiate while being humiliated,” cleric Ahmad Khatami said.