Shafaq News

Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz fell to seven vessels on Thursday, down from 11 the day before and below the 10-day average of 15, according to preliminary data from the ship-tracking firm Kpler.

Two commercial ships left the strait on Thursday and five entered, the data showed.

The decline came as the naval confrontation between the United States and Iran widened. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces had redirected 96 commercial vessels to enforce a naval blockade of Iran that resumed on July 14.

On Thursday evening, the navy of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had struck a US sea drone at the entrance to the strait and "thwarted its hostile mission." Iran's Tasnim news agency identified the craft as a Saildrone Explorer, a roughly seven-meter surface vessel fitted with cameras, sensors, and communications equipment for reconnaissance and surveillance.

Traffic through the Bab al-Mandab strait, at the southern end of the Red Sea, held closer to normal, with 26 commercial vessels passing through —10 inbound and 16 outbound— against a 10-day average of about 27 a day. The steadier flow came despite renewed fighting near the strait, where advances by Yemen's Houthi forces around the port of Mocha have raised concerns about shipping safety.

Oil prices rose over the same period. Brent crude futures gained $1.05, or 1%, to $108.68 a barrel on Friday, and US West Texas Intermediate rose 95 cents, also about 1%, to $103.45, after both benchmarks jumped more than 6% on Thursday.