The Strait of Hormuz remained under tight restrictions Friday, with oil shipments beginning to rise after a U.S.-Iran interim agreement even as Tehran imposed new permit demands and planned follow-up talks were delayed. There was no confirmed full reclosure of the waterway as of June 19, but shipping firms and U.S. officials faced renewed uncertainty over whether the deal can restore normal passage.
Strait of Hormuz traffic rises under restrictions
Oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz picked up Friday after the United States and Iran signed a ceasefire deal, with at least four tankers carrying crude, oil products and liquefied petroleum gas entering the strait toward Iraqi Gulf ports. A Japanese-owned crude tanker also exited after being delayed by the war, while Indian-flagged tanker Desh Vaibhav was preparing to sail to India after days of disruption.
Commercial crossings also rose. Maritime data showed 25 commercial crossings through Hormuz on June 18, the highest single-day count since April 18 and more than five times the average daily level during the first 10 days of June. Traffic still remained well below the pre-conflict level of about 120 daily crossings.
The return of vessel movement does not mean the route is back to normal. The U.S. Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Center warned mariners about mines and continued naval presence, advising vessels to avoid the established Traffic Separation Scheme because of mine risks.
Iran permit rules deepen the dispute
Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority said vessels must submit transit requests at least 48 hours before arrival while the interim agreement is in force. Tehran said it would waive fees for security, safety, environmental services and related insurance during the 60-day negotiation period, while still requiring vessels to coordinate routes and transit times.
The permit system is already drawing opposition. An advisory circulated to the maritime industry said no vessel could pass through the Strait of Hormuz without a valid passage permit from Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority. The same authority said it reserves the right to introduce insurance fees and require shipowners to obtain and renew coverage.
Shipping industry representatives have rejected any fee or toll system on what they describe as an international waterway. The dispute places the Trump administration in a difficult position: the agreement has started moving ships again, but the practical terms of passage are now tied to Iranian procedures that commercial operators and U.S. allies may resist.
Trump’s Iran deal faces delayed talks
The White House sent Congress the text of the interim agreement on June 18, one day after President Donald Trump signed the deal with Tehran. The document says the United States would fully end its naval blockade on Iranian ports within 30 days, while Iran would ensure safe passage for commercial vessels at no charge through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days.
The agreement also commits Washington and Tehran to negotiate a final deal within 60 days, with the option to extend that period by mutual consent. Pakistan signed the document as witness and mediator.
Those talks were quickly delayed. U.S.-Iran negotiations expected to begin Friday in Switzerland were postponed, with the White House citing logistical issues after Vice President JD Vance canceled travel plans. Officials cited by The Associated Press said Iran suspended the talks because of renewed fighting in Lebanon.
The Lebanon fighting created a direct test for the agreement, which called for an immediate halt to military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon. Trump said he expected a “complete Ceasefire” involving Lebanon, Hezbollah and Israel, but Israel said it struck Hezbollah targets after what it called ceasefire violations.
Shipping risks remain after the ceasefire
Major operators remain cautious. The CEO of Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines told the Financial Times that shipowners would not resume Strait of Hormuz transit for weeks until they were confident the U.S.-Iran peace deal was material, and the company later said operations would not resume until safety was sufficiently confirmed.
Tanker industry concerns are centered on mines, route congestion and the possibility that renewed hostilities could trap vessels inside the Gulf. Reuters cited a ship broker note warning that risks range from mines to vessels being stuck if tensions flare and Iran blocks Hormuz again.
The main route through the middle of the strait remained hazardous, with a tanker owner trade body saying about 80 mines still needed to be cleared before normal shipping could resume. The same industry assessment warned that ships using narrower routes near Oman face grounding and collision risks.
U.S. and Gulf stakes stay high
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints, carrying around one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before the conflict. Gulf producers have begun preparing to raise exports, with Kuwait Petroleum Corp offering crude for July delivery and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company issuing another tender.
The immediate benefit for Washington is that commercial traffic has restarted under the interim deal. The risk is that Tehran’s permit system gives Iran leverage over a waterway that global markets rely on and that shipping companies consider international.
For now, the confirmed story is not a formal reclosure of the Strait of Hormuz. It is a fragile reopening under Iranian conditions, with delayed diplomacy, mine risks and disputed transit rules keeping the Trump administration’s agreement under strain.
