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US President Donald Trump has said that ships are beginning to move through the Strait of Hormuz, days after he announced a preliminary deal with Iran to end the war that had effectively closed the vital waterway. However, ship-tracking data and industry statements suggest that a full resumption of traffic may take weeks, if not longer, as security concerns and logistical hurdles persist.

In a social media post on Monday, Trump wrote: "Ships are starting to move, many loaded up with Oil, out of the Strait of Hormuz." He referred to the southern shipping route through Omani territorial waters as "totally safe, secure, and pristine" and added that "there are other areas of travel, also!!!". The US President's remarks came after he and Iran's leadership announced plans to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on Friday that would reopen the strait, lift the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, and halt fighting on all fronts.

The deal, which was personally signed by Trump and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, is expected to be formally signed in Switzerland on Friday. However, the formal ceremony was cancelled, and US Vice President JD Vance said he still intended to travel to Switzerland but did not know what would happen, according to a report by The Guardian.

Coverage Comparison

The announcement of the deal and Trump's subsequent claim about ships moving have been met with cautious optimism and scrutiny across international media. Al Jazeera, which provided extensive coverage of the deal, reported that "ships are starting to move" but also noted that only seven ships had passed through the strait since the deal was announced, according to shipping monitor MarineTraffic. BBC Verify, using the same ship-tracking data, found that just seven vessels had passed through the critical waterway, while as many as 580 ships appeared to be waiting in the Gulf. The BBC also cited experts who said there were significant obstacles preventing traffic from returning to pre-war levels, including security risks, mines, and tolls.

The Guardian reported that Iran had announced plans to introduce maritime fees in the strait within two months, a move that could complicate the reopening. The Jerusalem Post, citing a source, reported that Iran had fired multiple drones toward commercial ships in the strait since the signing of the memorandum, but the US military intercepted all of them. The US Central Command, as reported by Africa News, rejected Iran's claim that it had effectively closed the strait, saying commercial vessels continue to transit.

South China Morning Post and The Hindu both carried statements from the CEO of Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Jotaro Tamura, who said shipowners would not resume transit for weeks until they were confident the US-Iran deal was "material". Tamura estimated it could take at least a couple of weeks or a month for operations to return to normal.

TASS reported Trump's claim on Wednesday that 19 million barrels of oil flowed out of the strait on June 22, which he called an all-time record, and that the restart of the blockade seemed "highly unlikely". Yonhap News reported that Trump, in an earlier post, had said the US mission "Project Freedom" had helped more than 100 million barrels of oil and 200 commercial ships transit the strait.

Key Claims

  • US President Donald Trump claimed ships were starting to move out of the Strait of Hormuz, using the southern route through Omani waters, which he called safe and secure. (Al Jazeera, Yonhap)
  • Ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic, analyzed by BBC Verify and Al Jazeera, showed only seven vessels had passed through the strait since the deal was announced, with more than 550 ships stranded on either side. (BBC, Al Jazeera)
  • As many as 580 ships were waiting in the Gulf, according to BBC Verify's analysis of MarineTraffic data. (BBC)
  • Iran has announced plans to introduce maritime fees in the strait within two months, and Iranian officials have said transit must still be coordinated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. (The Guardian, Al Jazeera)
  • Iran has fired drones toward commercial ships since the signing of the memorandum, but all were intercepted by the US military, according to a source cited by the Jerusalem Post. (Jerusalem Post)
  • Seafarers' advocates, including the International Chamber of Shipping and the Forward Seamen's Union of India, welcomed the deal but said safe departure of stranded crew would take time. (Al Jazeera)
  • The CEO of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines said shipowners would not resume transit until the deal is "material" and translated into real situations on the ground, estimating a wait of at least two weeks to a month. (South China Morning Post, The Hindu)
  • Trump said 19 million barrels of oil flowed through the strait on June 22, an all-time record, and that the restart of the blockade was "highly unlikely". (TASS)
  • Trump said the US mission "Project Freedom" had resulted in more than 100 million barrels of oil and 200 commercial ships safely transiting the strait. (Yonhap)

Perspectives

South Korean Government

South Korea has welcomed the US-Iran ceasefire deal and is prioritizing the safe passage of 24 vessels and 137 sailors stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Yonhap. The foreign ministry has begun consultations with the US, Iran, and other countries, and is monitoring security conditions, including naval mines. President Lee Jae Myung called the agreement "an important step" toward restoring regional stability, while the National Assembly Speaker urged all-out diplomatic measures to ensure the safe return of the stranded vessels.

Japan

Japan has not yet decided whether its military will join efforts to help resume shipping through the strait, Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said, as reported by The Hindu. Tokyo signed onto a European joint statement offering a defensive and independent mission for mine clearance, but Japan's constitution strictly limits the use of force to self-defence. Some ruling party members have suggested deploying minesweepers after fighting stops.

Shipowners and Seafarers

Shipping companies are taking a wait-and-see approach, as exemplified by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines' CEO, who said the deal must be "material" before they feel comfortable transiting. Seafarers' unions have cautiously welcomed the deal but stressed that the safe departure of thousands of stranded crew members must be a top priority, a process that will take time. (South China Morning Post, The Hindu, Al Jazeera)

Corrections and Clarifications

No corrections or clarifications were necessary in this article. All information is based on the provided sources and attributed accordingly.