Strait Reopens and Iranian Oil Flows, But the Path Through Is Complicated

Since the United States lifted its naval blockade on Iran last week, the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route for crude oil, has seen a notable increase in the movement of ships, many of them carrying Iranian oil.That’s even as U.S.

and Iranian officials try to close major gaps in their negotiations.The strait’s central route, long used by commercial ships, is laden with mines, forcing companies to take one of two alternative paths: the southern route close to the Omani coast or the northern route close to the Iranian shoreline.From Saturday through Monday, 109 vessels passed through the strait, the largest three-day number since the war started in late February, according to Kpler, a global maritime data firm.Traffic is a fraction of the more than 130 vessels that transited the strait every day before the start of the war.

A backlog of 500 to 600 ships remained, according to the International Maritime Organization.The overall picture of shipping conditions in the region’s waters is incomplete.Ships have transited the strait with their transponders off, making them difficult to track.

This account of the current situation in the Persian Gulf is based on interviews with industry executives and analysts and an examination of ship tracking data.Iran is “well and truly back in business.”A major source of increased traffic came from Iran-linked ships carrying crude oil to Asia via the strait’s northern route, near Larak Island.At least 12 tankers with Iranian crude are moving toward Asia, according to an analysis by S&P Global’s Commodities at Sea, which provides data on trade flows....