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Hormuz Transits Halted Since May 5 as US, Iran Clash
Tehran Tightens Grip on Waterway
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The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed to commercial shipping after the U.S. and Iran clashed overnight near the waterway, attacking each other’s assets in the area.
U.S. forces targeted missile and drone launch sites and other military assets in the Islamic Republic that they said were responsible for attacking three U.S. warships transiting the strait.
The clashes risk undermining talks over a U.S.-proposed deal to end the war, with Iran expected to send a response shortly. President Donald Trump again threatened more intense strikes if Iran refuses his terms. Tehran responded, saying on X that the continued hostile action against Iran “highlights the confusion and inability of the ruling authorities in the United States to properly understand the situation and find a reasonable solution to exit their self-created impasse.”
READ MORE: Numbers Show Global Impact of Iran's Grip on Hormuz
Tehran has tightened its grip on the waterway, requiring shipowners to submit detailed information — from vessel history to cargo value — to its Persian Gulf Strait Authority, adding to uncertainty and deterring voyages. There have been no observed outbound or inbound transits since May 5.
An oil products tanker, Interstellar, appeared off the coast of Pakistan on the morning of May 8, heading south and signaling its destination as Osaka in Japan with a June 1 arrival data. The time and position of the ship’s disappearance off Qeshm Island in the western arm of Hormuz on May 5 suggests it crossed the Strait later that day.
Separately, a small products tanker, Zerba, that is estimated to have made the outbound transit on May 3, appears to have been turned back by the U.S. Navy, possibly twice, as it approached Washington’s de facto blockade line between Iran’s border with Pakistan and the shoulder of Oman.
There are currently more than 70 tankers that U.S. forces are preventing from entering or leaving Iranian ports. These commercial ships have the capacity to transport over 166 million barrels of Iranian oil worth an estimated $13 billion-plus. pic.twitter.com/VBKfDwMwqJ — U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) May 8, 2026
Zerba appears to have departed Hamriya in the United Arab Emirates on April 30, before crossing the Strait of Hormuz on May 3.
Widespread AIS spoofing has clouded the picture, making independent verification of ship traffic increasingly difficult.
Tracking data currently shows no successful inbound transits since fresh hostilities erupted on May 4.
U.S. Central Command said on X that American forces are preventing more than 70 tankers from entering or leaving Iranian ports, ships that have the capacity to transport more than 166 million barrels of oil.
The U.S. naval presence may also be distorting the picture. Iran-linked vessels entering or leaving the Gulf could be switching off AIS signals to avoid detection, making it harder to track flows in real time. As a result, transit counts may later be revised upward when ships reappear further from high-risk waters.
Even before the U.S. barred movement to and from Iranian ports, it was common for Iran-linked vessels to go dark when approaching Hormuz. Signals were often not restored until well into the Strait of Malacca — around 13 days’ sailing from Iran’s Kharg Island.
