Ships Pull Back Amid Heightened Risk From U.S.-Iran Strikes

Renewed attacks between Iran and the United States have injected fresh uncertainty into the calculations of shipowners weighing whether to free stranded vessels.Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz dropped significantly over the weekend, as a four-day exchange of attacks between Iran and the United States left some shipowners deciding it was too risky to pass through.Now, Iranian and U.S.

officials have said they would hold talks on Tuesday.But the recent outbursts of violence underscored how closely tied any sustained resumption of shipping is to a cessation in the conflict.Before the attacks, shipping traffic through the strait had risen to its highest levels since March 1, days after the start of the war.

Many of the ships were taking a U.S.-backed route that bypassed Iranian waters.But on Thursday, Iran reiterated a demand that ships use its waters and obtain permits to go in or out of the strait, warning that other routes were “unacceptable and extremely dangerous.” Later in the day, Iranian forces attacked a container ship that was transiting via Omani waters on the other side of the Persian Gulf.The United States conducted retaliatory strikes.Iran attacked a second ship, a Panama-flagged tanker called the Kiku, with a drone on Saturday, according to the U.S.

Central Command.By Monday, the United States and Iran had agreed to halt their attacks and allow vessels to move freely, according to a U.S.

official.Despite the risks over the weekend, 22 ships passed through the strait on Sunday, down from 38 on Saturday, according to data from Kpler, a maritime tracking firm.On Wednesday, 74 ships went through....