Amidst the global concern over the situation in the Hormuz Strait due to Iran’s disruptions, BBC Verify has been tracking the movements of ships along the strait. As of Thursday (March 26th), a total of six ships have been monitored passing through this strategic waterway.
According to data from the vessel tracking website MarineTraffic, these six ships include two liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers, namely the “Niba” and “Salute,” as well as four bulk carriers, namely the “Zea,” “NJ Jupiter,” “Glykofiloussa,” and “Neraki.”
Five of the ships continued to send location signals while crossing the strait. However, the LPG carrier “Niba” turned off its transponder when nearing Iran’s Qeshm Island and only reappeared on the eastern side of the strait. Interestingly, all ships navigated close to Iran’s Qeshm Island during their passage through the strait, deviating from the usual Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) international shipping practice.
Previously, Iran had designated China, Russia, India, Iraq, and Pakistan as friendly countries, allowing ships from these nations safe passage. However, the few transit ships observed did not appear to be from the aforementioned countries.
Following the joint military strike operation “Epic Fury” launched by the United States and Israel against Iran, Iran has continued to cause disruptions, leading to a de facto blockade of the Hormuz Strait. This strait, with a narrowest point of only 33 kilometers, is the most crucial energy chokepoint globally, through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil passes.
On Thursday, President Trump disclosed during the first cabinet meeting since the outbreak of the military operation that Iran had allowed a total of 10 oil tankers to pass through the strategically significant Hormuz Strait as a “gift,” indicating their seriousness in negotiating an end to the conflict.
In the meeting, Trump stated that since the conflict erupted on February 28th, the U.S. has been exerting “unprecedented force” against Iran’s military capabilities. He claimed that the Iranian navy and air force had been “completely” destroyed, with “nearly 90%” of Iran’s missile launchers and “potentially over 90%” of its missiles themselves having been destroyed.
Trump mentioned that Iran is begging for a deal. The U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Affairs, Steve Witkoff, confirmed that the U.S. has sent a list of 15 action points to Iran through the Pakistani government. Previously, Iran had repeatedly denied engaging in negotiations.
Additionally, according to Reuters, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul stated on Thursday that NATO needs to maintain a “united position” with the U.S. on the Iran issue, with support from the U.K. and France. He plans to hold talks with U.S. Secretary of State Rubio during the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting scheduled in Paris on Friday.
Also on Thursday, the Israeli Defense Forces announced that they had successfully targeted and killed senior leaders of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy, including the navy commander responsible for overseeing the blockade of the Hormuz Strait, Alireza Tangsiri.