Shafaq News- Hormuz

Around 60 commercial vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, carrying about 22 million barrels of oil out of the waterway —the highest daily volume since early July, a US official told Reuters.

The official said around 40 of the vessels coordinated with the US military for protection during their transit.

The Strait of Hormuz has become a central issue in efforts to end the nearly seven-month US-Iran war. Before the conflict began on February 28, about 125 large commercial vessels typically crossed the strait each day. The waterway carried roughly 20% of the world’s daily crude oil and liquefied natural gas supply.

US and Iranian negotiators in New York are also exploring a phased agreement under which Tehran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and Washington would lift its economic blockade on Iran, sources close to the talks told Reuters.

Meanwhile, Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani read a joint statement at the UN on behalf of around 80 countries calling for the urgent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and condemning Iran’s actions in the waterway.

The statement warned that disruption to navigation threatened international security, trade and energy supplies.

Read more: Iran war spreads to Iraq and Red Sea as regional risks mount