Strait of Hormuz shipping traffic may take few months to return to pre-war levels

The Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy shipping route, is expected to experience a gradual rise in maritime traffic after the US-Iran peace agreement.

However, it may take several months for vessel movements to return to pre-conflict levels because concerns remain about the full restoration and security of the waterway.

The conflict in the Middle East began on February 28 with US and Israeli attacks on Iran and ended after negotiations led to a ceasefire agreement.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that the US and Iran had agreed to halt all military activities, including operations in Lebanon.

US President Donald Trump announced that the Strait of Hormuz would be completely reopened on Friday under the agreement, adding that most of the mines in the area would be cleared.

Before the conflict, approximately 130 commercial vessels passed through the strait each day, according to data from the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). After hostilities began, daily traffic dropped by more than 90%, with some days recording only a single vessel transit.

Data from analytics company Kpler showed that five commercial ships crossed the strait on June 10, five on June 11, seven on June 12, one on June 13, and five on June 14.

Among the final vessels to navigate the waterway on June 14 was the Malta-registered *Disha*, which was transporting 132,000 cubic metres of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar to India.