USA AUS moved into a new phase after The United States and Iran signed an initial agreement that reopened the Strait of Hormuz, but the route is not back to normal. Shipping has started to resume, yet mines and insurance problems still limit how fast vessels can move through one of the world’s most important energy corridors.
About 500 merchant ships were waiting in the Persian Gulf for onward passage, and The Association of German Shipowners said 46 ships with about 1,000 sailors were still stuck there. Iran is supposed to clear possibly laid sea mines within 30 days, while the framework deal gives the two sides 60 days to reach a final agreement.
Strait of Hormuz route resumes
Lloyd’s List Intelligence said major shipping companies had started sending ships through the Strait of Hormuz again, with tanker vessels from Grimaldi Group, Cosco, Knutsen and NYK crossing the strait. Two crude oil tankers sailing under the Iranian flag also entered the strait without being stopped, and those vessels belong to the National Iranian Tanker Company, which is under sanctions.
Three supertankers flying the Saudi Arabian flag and carrying a total of six million barrels of crude oil passed through the strait, while Windward reported seven freight vessels moving through it by early afternoon and Kpler reported four. Before the Iran war, about 20 percent of global energy trade passed through the Strait of Hormuz, so even partial reopening changes the daily flow of cargo that many shipping operators have been avoiding.
Mining risk and insurance limits
Phillip Belcher said the tankers still have to use side routes in the strait because of mines, and Bimco said the security situation remained unstable. The passage is said to be open again, but Bimco still calls the security situation unstable and says transit remains very risky.
Alexander Saverys, chief of CMB Tech, said: “Wir werden erst dann handeln und durch die Straße von Hormus fahren, wenn wir zu 100 Prozent davon überzeugt sind, dass es sicher ist.” That caution matches the market response: a route can reopen on paper, but insurers and ship operators still need a level of confidence that the mines threat has eased before treating it as routine.
Republican criticism in Washington
Donald Trump is facing criticism from some Republicans over the Iran deal. Bill Cassidy said: “Das ist der schlimmste außenpolitische Fehler seit Jahrzehnten.” Roger Wicker compared the 300 Milliarden Dollar figure with the 2015 Obama agreement and said: “Klacks”.
Thomas Massie said 300 Milliarden Dollar is five times what Congress spends annually on roads and bridges in the United States, while Thom Tillis and Ted Cruz also criticized the agreement. Bill Cassidy said 13 US-Amerikaner are dead, sanctions are being eased and Americans have paid billions at the gas pumps.
The practical test now is whether Iran clears the mines within 30 days and whether the two sides turn the 60-day framework into a final agreement before shipping confidence hardens again. Until then, operators moving through the Strait of Hormuz are treating reopening as a cautious opening, not a return to normal.
