Key facts
- Vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was mixed over the weekend, with 34 ships on Saturday and 16 on Sunday.
- Over the past seven days, the Middle East region exported nearly 6 million barrels per day of crude.
- Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority announced stronger transit rules for vessels.
- Omani foreign minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi will visit Tehran this week for discussions on traffic through the strait.
- The US launched Operation Economic Outcast to economically isolate Iran.
Vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz experienced fluctuations over the weekend, with a notable increase on Saturday followed by a decrease on Sunday, as diplomatic efforts between Iran and the United States to resolve issues surrounding the waterway continue to falter. On August 22, 34 ships transited the strait, a figure that dropped to 16 on August 23, according to data from maritime security firm Windward.
Over the preceding seven days, the Middle East region exported approximately 6 million barrels per day of crude oil via the US Navy blockade line to global markets, as reported by vessel information firm TankerTrackers.com. This volume represents about one-third of the pre-war average recorded in February 2026, which stood at 19 million barrels per day. The US has been enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports from outside the Strait of Hormuz, between the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
Iran is reportedly seeking to increase its control over the strait, with the Persian Gulf Strait Authority announcing on Monday enhanced transit rules for vessels navigating the narrow waterway. Bilateral discussions between Iran and Oman concerning traffic through the strait are set to resume this week. Omani foreign minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi is scheduled to visit Tehran on Tuesday, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson informed the state-affiliated Irna news agency.
In parallel, the US unveiled its new Operation Economic Outcast on Monday, an initiative designed to isolate Iran economically following what US officials describe as unsuccessful attempts to compel the country, through military force, to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war commercial vessel traffic levels. US officials have asserted significant energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks, despite a lack of substantial evidence to support these claims.
Weekend tanker traffic data from Windward indicated that August 22 saw the highest number of transits in over a month, with 34 vessels. This traffic was divided between 20 inbound and 14 outbound transits, utilizing both the southern US-assisted lane and the northern Iranian-controlled lane. This likely marks the highest traffic volume since July 7, when 36 vessels passed through the strait, according to Argus reporting.
On that day, a total of 11 tankers transited the strait, comprising six inbound transits on the southern lane and one on the northern lane, with four outbound tanker transits split between three on the northern lane and one on the southern lane. Notable inbound transits on the southern lane included the Grit, a very large crude carrier expected to load 2 million barrels of crude in the Dubai lightering area, according to Kpler data. The LPG tankers Delma and Gas Warich were scheduled to load approximately 500,000 barrels each at Adnoc's Ruwais refinery, while the tanker Alfonso was set to load about 250,000 barrels of fuel oil in Iraq. Outbound transits included three tankers on the northern lane likely destined to load in Iran, along with a ballast bitumen tanker.
On August 23, transits through the Strait of Hormuz decreased to 16, with six inbound and 10 outbound movements, predominantly on the southern transit lane, according to Windward data. Three inbound tanker transits occurred on the southern lane and one on the northern lane. These inbound transits included the Gas Marakua and the Olympios Gas, slated to load around 500,000 barrels and 300,000 barrels of LPG, respectively, at Qatar's Ras Laffan refinery, as well as the medium-range refined oil products tanker Imperial.