US and Iran trade strikes as tanker hit by drone strains Hormuz ceasefire and reopening plan
Two days of escalatory strikes between US and Iranian forces, including a drone attack on the Panama-flagged tanker Kiku, are undermining the June 17 memorandum that was meant to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restore traffic through the world’s most critical oil chokepoint.
A fragile peace under strain
Since the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on June 17 to end hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the American military has begun clearing an estimated 80 mines from the shipping routes and established an alternative corridor off the coast of Oman. President Donald Trump urged the world’s ships to
and promised a return to normal traffic. Before the attacks of recent days, daily crossings had climbed to 70 vessels on Wednesday, the highest figure since the war began at the end of February, according to Marine Traffic. Still, that is far below the pre‑war rate of 120 to 140 ships a day, and hundreds of commercial vessels remain trapped in the Gulf pending an assessment of risks by companies, insurers and captains.start your engines
Attacks escalate
On Thursday, the Revolutionary Guard struck a Singapore‑flagged merchant vessel with a drone as it exited the strait near the Omani coast, calling it an unauthorized route. The US Central Command said the action
and compromised navigation. American forces retaliated on Friday with bombardments of Iranian military facilities on the southern coast. Early Saturday, Iranian forces attacked the Panama‑flagged tanker Kiku, which was carrying more than two million barrels of crude and attempting to use the Oman corridor. The US then struck surveillance infrastructure, communications systems, air‑defence positions, drone storage sites and mine‑launching batteries inside Iran. Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that a Panama‑flagged tanker had been hit by an unidentified projectile; the captain saidclearly violated the ceasefire
and no environmental harm was reported.the vessel was hit by an unidentified projectile … the bridge suffered damage but all crew members are safe
- War between the United States and Iran begins near the Strait of Hormuz.
- US and Iran sign a memorandum of understanding for a ceasefire and the reopening of the strait.
- Iranian drone attacks a Singapore-flagged merchant ship off Oman; first military action since the truce.
- US carries out retaliatory strikes against Iranian military facilities on the southern coast.
- Iranian drone hits the Panama-flagged tanker Kiku; US strikes Iranian air defences and drone infrastructure. A second tanker is damaged by an unidentified projectile.
International demining push
Clearing the strait is not a purely American operation. The United Kingdom and France have pledged autonomous mine‑detection equipment, anti‑drone systems, combat aircraft and escort vessels for the demining mission. The US Navy has also expanded the southern corridor along the Omani coast to accept both inbound and outbound traffic, a move likely to sharpen friction with Tehran, which views control of the waterway as a key card in the ongoing negotiations.
Oil traffic and economic fallout
The Strait of Hormuz handles roughly 20% of global crude oil. Pre‑war traffic was 120 to 140 ships per day; on Wednesday it reached only 70, and the renewed strikes threaten to stall that recovery. An EU working document prepared for energy ministers notes that even in the most optimistic scenario the full restoration of unimpeded navigation will take weeks. With hundreds of commercial ships still stuck in the Gulf and insurance costs elevated, the flare‑up is injecting fresh uncertainty into energy markets at a moment when the global economy was counting on a swift reopening.
- Pre-war average
- 130 ships
- 2026-06-24
- 70 ships
