Vessels could be seen Monday off the coast of Iran's Bandar Abbas, a port city on the Strait of Hormuz. According to Associated Press meanwhile, Iran said Monday it's finalizing an agreement with Oman over a temporary "safe" route through the narrow waterway, crucial for global oil and natural gas shipments. One-fifth of the world’s oil transited through the strait before the war began in late February.
The strategic waterway has been a key pressure point for Iran, and reopening it fully has become one of the prime goals for the U.S. administration. Ship traffic through the strait is well below pre-war levels due to the risk of attack if vessels don’t comply with an Iranian vetting regime near its coastline, which is in sharp contrast to the unhindered navigation before the war. The U.S has been trying to escort ships through the strait, protecting them from Iranian missile and drone attacks. Meanwhile it's been enforcing a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Source: Kanal13
