Commentary: US and Iran’s exchange of strikes shows how far diplomacy has changed

According to Kpler data, four commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Monday—two exiting (one carrying petrochemicals and one empty) and two entering (a bitumen tanker and an oil tanker)—down from seven the prior day, with no very large crude carriers or liquefied natural gas tankers observed.

Yemen's Houthis stated they were imposing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported receiving multiple accounts of a tanker struck by an unknown projectile in the strait, while Greek shipping company Dynacom Tankers stated that two of its vessels were hit by projectiles off Oman and a third by a drone at Russia's Novorossiysk terminal.

U.S. and Iranian forces have conducted daily strikes in the Strait of Hormuz region following the collapse of an interim ceasefire, according to reports. The Trump administration has stated openness to diplomacy while announcing further retaliation for attacks on U.

S. personnel, and gasoline prices have risen amid the renewed exchanges. An analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies described the escalations as reflecting possible miscalculations by both sides, without confirmed evidence of their long-term effects.

According to reports citing unnamed sources, mediators including Qatar, Egypt, and Pakistan presented a 10-day ceasefire proposal to the United States and Iran. The proposal reportedly calls for a halt to hostilities, resumption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and efforts to preserve a memorandum of understanding signed by Washington and Tehran on June 18.

The US administration is reviewing the plan while preparing for possible failure, and Israel has been placed on high alert.

Vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz totaled 53 in the week through July 20, according to Lloyd's List Intelligence data, down from 157 the previous week, with tanker and gas carrier movements falling to 30 from 90. Kpler tracking showed daily crossings declining from averages above 20 vessels before July 15 to single digits by July 16 and remaining low thereafter.

These figures followed the reported start of a U.S. blockade and related maritime restrictions announced by Iranian authorities.