No oil tankers sailing through Strait of Hormuz: Report

Data from a major international tanker‑tracking service shows that no oil tankers are currently sailing through the Strait of Hormuz, the key waterway in the Persian Gulf responsible for about one‑fifth of global oil demand which has been under full control of the Iranian armed forces since early March, days after the start of the US-Israeli aggression on the country.  

Data released by Kpler on Monday, citing satellite imagery, showed that no new transits via Hormuz have been recorded in the past 24 hours as Iran tightens its grip on the strait.

This comes as the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy, Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, said the force has not completely closed the Strait of Hormuz but merely controls passage through it. 
The situation in Hormuz has caused international oil prices to soar to levels not seen in recent years. Reuters reported on Monday that prices had risen 3 % to an average of $106 per barrel.

The Wall Street Journal said that CEOs of major oil companies have been contacting the administration of US President Donald Trump, warning that continued confrontation in the Persian Gulf could deepen the current energy crisis.

Trump has been desperately seeking to restore normal transit through Hormuz.

The New York Times reported that Trump has been pressing the US military to devise a solution after a report indicated the military is practically unable to control the strategic strait.

Senior US military commanders had warned Trump before the aggression on Iran that the Hormuz issue could become a major problem and that the military might be unable to resolve it.

Trump said in a social‑media post over the weekend that he had asked other countries to send warships to the Persian Gulf to secure the strait. However, US allies, including Japan, Australia, Britain, and Canada, have declined to dispatch warships.

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