As U.S. steps up strikes, Hormuz crossings hit three week low

Photo: CENTCOM

As CENTCOM completed new rounds of attacks on Iranian targets and stepped up blockade enforcement actions, including vessel boardings, Kpler reported today that Strait of Hormuz traffic continued to weaken on July 16, with confirmed crossings falling to eight, the lowest level in three weeks. Seven of the eight transits used the Iranian route, highlighting a growing concentration of movements through higher risk corridors as operators reassess security, crew safety and insurance exposure. Activity was evenly divided between low risk and sanctioned vessels, with no shadow fleet crossings recorded. A newly verified physical incident involving the tanker Belma and continued enforcement measures have added to market uncertainty. While regional mediation efforts remain under way, says Kpler, commercial shipping patterns suggest military developments are now shaping operational decisions more than diplomatic progress.

That “physical incident” involving the Belmar? It came on June 15, when U.S. forces enforced naval blockade measures by disabling the unladen oil tanker after CENTCOM forces observed the Curacao-flagged Belma transiting international waters toward Kharg Island. According to CENTCOM the vessel “ignored multiple warnings as it attempted to violate the U.S. blockade.” A U.S. aircraft disabled the vessel after firing Hellfire missiles into its smokestack.

Other blockade enforcement actions, including vessel inspections and boardings, have been less dramatic.

IRGC tower taken out

CENTCOM reports that on July 16, U.S. forces successfully destroyed the Chah Bahar Shahid Kalantari Port surveillance tower, part of a maritime surveillance network along Iran’s Gulf of Oman coastline used for decades by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to track and target commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

“The destruction of the tower directly degrades IRGC’s ability to coordinate attacks on innocent civilian crew members,” says CENTCOM “Furthermore, the strike protects freedom of navigation in regional waters for all vessels, except for ships attempting to violate the ongoing U.S. naval blockade against Iran.”