UK Maritime Trade Operations logs late report of Hormuz incident
The report follows two blasts heard off Iran's Qeshm Island this week, neither confirmed to have caused damage.
Published
Map: The Gulf and Hormuz, marking Strait of Hormuz
The UK Maritime Trade Operations center has received a late report of an incident in the Strait of Hormuz. Details of what happened, and exactly where, have not been made public.
It follows a blast heard off Iran's Qeshm Island on Monday, the second such report in the area this stretch, according to Iran's state news. No damage or casualties have been confirmed from either. Iran's state TV said the sounds were likely warning shots.
Talks over reopening the strait remain stuck. Iran's foreign minister, Araghchi, has said Tehran expects a US answer today on a reopening plan, and a separate response on nuclear talks through Qatari mediators by Tuesday. He has repeated that Washington must first meet terms set by Iran's Supreme Leader. An Iranian official has said the strait, not the nuclear file, is now the center of the talks, as Iran's parliament considers quitting the nuclear inspections framework. A US official has said Washington feels no urgency to reach a deal and considers itself in a strong position.
Traffic through the strait has kept moving. About 60 vessels transited on Wednesday, the highest volume since early July, and a US official has put the flow at nearly 40 million barrels over a 48-hour span. TotalEnergies' chief executive has estimated total Hormuz flow at about 10 million barrels a day. Set against that steady traffic and the absence of confirmed damage, another vague report adds to a string of unresolved incidents near the strait without amounting to a decisive escalation. It keeps the standing risk premium on oil in place rather than shifting it, a small drag at the margin for anyone pricing the risk of a real disruption to flows.