US and Iran agree to pause hostilities as maritime traffic in Hormuz remains fragmented
Both sides said they would stand down after recent exchanges of fire, while ship operators navigate three competing routes through the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing diplomatic talks.
Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has not returned to pre-war levels, with 124 commodity vessels recorded transiting the waterway since Thursday, according to data firm Kpler. The volume matches the daily traffic seen before the conflict began, but ships are now using three separate corridors: a southern route near Oman, the traditional central channel, and a northern route under Iranian control.
Windward analysts reported that on Thursday 18 vessels entered and 45 left the strait, with more than half of outbound traffic taking the southern Omani route. Marine Traffic also noted several large merchant ships and a container vessel using that corridor on Sunday.
The United States and Iran said they would “stand down for now” after a series of exchanges that included Iranian attacks on a Singapore-flagged container ship and U.S. strikes on Iranian missile and drone sites. A Trump administration official added that vessels could move freely, though the exact stance of Tehran remains unclear.
"Stand down for now," a senior U.S. official said on Sunday.
"The withdrawal of occupiers from all occupied Lebanese areas is necessary for reaching a final and lasting agreement to establish regional stability," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said.
Technical discussions on the memorandum of understanding signed earlier this month are reported to be “on track,” according to a senior U.S. administration official. The agreement calls for Iran to use its best efforts to ensure safe passage of commercial vessels and outlines steps toward ending military operations in the region, including in Lebanon.
Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf emphasized the goal of ending the war in Lebanon and securing the withdrawal of Israeli forces, while Israeli officials have so far refused to pull troops from southern Lebanon.
The lack of a clear, unified route and the risk of attacks on ships using non-Iranian corridors or sanctions on vessels taking the Iranian path continue to complicate efforts to restore normal trade through the strait.