More ships have been moving through the Strait of Hormuz since the United States and Iran agreed to a preliminary deal this week that included provisions to reopen the waterway.
But the traffic has been erratic and remains well below prewar levels.
Shipping companies remain cautious about the strait, a critical waterway for the world’s oil and gas supplies. They also face practical problems after their ships have been sitting in the Persian Gulf for months.
On Thursday, 25 ships moved through the strait, including 14 oil tankers, according to Kpler, a maritime data company. The number was higher than the average in recent weeks. On Friday, 11 ships transited the strait: seven oil tankers and four dry bulk vessels, according to Kpler.
Before the war, roughly 130 vessels moved through the strait each day.
The preliminary agreement between the United States and Iran introduced a 60-day period of negotiations and outlined steps to reopen the strait. It removed a U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ships that had been imposed in April. The U.S. military said on Thursday that the blockade was no longer in place.
Under the deal, Iran agreed to reopen the strait and for 60 days return to the prewar status of allowing vessels to pass free of charge. The agreement, however, seems to leave open the possibility that Iran could charge fees after the 60-day negotiation period.
While the agreement calls for traffic to be reinstated “within 30 days,” it is not clear when it might return to prewar levels. The agreement called for reopening the strait to commercial vessels “immediately” but noted that there could be delays because of “technical and military obstacles,” as well as the need for Iran to remove mines from the waterway.
