Hormuz Shipping Slows as US Threatens ‘Decisive’ Action Against Iran

Commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz have slipped to just seven commodity ships on Monday, down from eight the day before, according to data from Kpler. The slowdown comes amid a sharp uptick in tensions after Washington announced it would take ‘decisive measures’ against Iran’s attempts to disrupt navigation.

The U.S. State Department said it was coordinating with regional partners to prevent restrictions in Hormuz from becoming the norm. Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei warned that Tehran had recalibrated its stance toward U.S. warships and bases, and that economic warfare would be met with a maritime exclusion zone in the Persian Gulf.

U.S. Central Command posted that it had redirected 94 commercial vessels, disabled three, and boarded two while enforcing the U.S. blockade against Iran, with the USS George H.W. Bush supporting the operation.

In Yemen, the Iran‑backed Houthi movement announced a “broad military operation” deep inside Saudi territory, and the Saudi‑led coalition reported 73 injuries in attacks on civilian and economic sites in several Saudi cities.

The confluence of these events has tightened shipping lanes in one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints, underscoring the heightened risk of escalation in the region.