LNG Tankers Return to Strait of Hormuz After US-Iran Clashes

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers have resumed transiting the Strait of Hormuz after a period of sharply reduced traffic. Ship-tracking data shows at least five ballast LNG carriers entered the waterway, including the GasLog Shanghai and four vessels linked to QatarEnergy: Al Samriya, Al Dafna, Al Gattara, and Al Rayyan.

The disruption followed the collapse of a June 17 ceasefire framework after the United States accused Iranian forces of attacking three Qatari and Saudi shipping vessels. In response, the U.S. struck approximately 90 Iranian military targets on Iran's southern coast and eastern provinces. President Donald Trump declared the truce over, though U.S. officials noted that technical talks continue.

Iran retaliated by attacking U.S. military sites in Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Jordan, including 10 ballistic missiles fired at the Azraq military base. During the escalation, daily transits in the strait plummeted from an average of 40 ships to as few as 14 or 15. The broader conflict originated on February 28 with a U.S.-Israeli strike that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

While some commercial traffic returns, other nations are withdrawing. Japan's Transport Minister Yasushi Kaneko announced that 22 Japan-linked vessels exited the Gulf between July 7 and July 9, leaving only four in the region compared to 45 present at the start of the conflict.