{"id":382228,"date":"2026-04-08T23:33:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T23:33:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/382228\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T23:33:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T23:33:09","slug":"iran-ceasefire-raises-hopes-for-reopening-key-strait-of-hormuz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/382228\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran ceasefire raises hopes for reopening key Strait of Hormuz"},"content":{"rendered":"

The strait has become a global flashpoint which has driven up the price of oil, threatened the safety of ships and seafarers while rocking regional stability.<\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/p>\n

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow maritime corridor between Iran and Oman which links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman through which countries including Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates export oil and gas.<\/p>\n

Even limited disruption can:<\/p>\n

Spike energy prices\u00a0Delay global supply chains\u00a0Increase geopolitical tensions\u00a0<\/p>\n

What\u2019s happening to shipping right now?<\/p>\n

Shipping through the strait \u2013 just 39 kilometres (21 nautical miles) at its narrowest point \u2013 has been severely disrupted since the beginning of the conflict at the end of February.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to the UN\u2019s specialized maritime agency, the International Maritime Organization<\/a> (IMO<\/a>), prior to the conflict, around 150 vessels passed through the waterway every day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With the threat of attack once the conflict broke out, that figure dwindled to just four or five ships a day, and only ones which the Iranian authorities considered as \u201cnon-hostile.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is still not clear if or when the strait will reopen to all shipping, despite the announcement of the ceasefire.<\/p>\n

How vulnerable are ships?<\/p>\n

The IMO has estimated that there are some 2,000 ships including oil and gas tankers, bulk carriers, cargo ships \u2013 as well as six tourist cruise liners \u2013 stranded in the Persian Gulf, unable to pass through the strait.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Around 20,000 seafarers are thought to be currently aboard those vessels.<\/p>\n

There have been 21 confirmed\u00a0attacks on international shipping\u00a0in the region with\u00a010 seafarer fatalities\u00a0and several seafarers injured,\u00a0according to IMO<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

Two seafarers work on the deck of a ship. (file)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ceasefire is welcome news for the 20,000 seafarers who\u00a0are\u00a0awaiting evacuation on the ships which\u00a0remain\u00a0in the Persian Gulf,\u201d said Damien Chevallier, the Director, of IMO\u2019s Maritime Safety Division adding that \u201cthey have spent\u00a0more than one month in a tense and volatile situation, unable to leave their ships.\u201d<\/p>\n

Safe evacuation of seafarers<\/p>\n

IMO is\u00a0already working with the relevant parties to implement\u00a0an \u201cappropriate mechanism\u00a0to ensure the safe transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz,\u201d said Mr. Chevallier.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe priority now is to ensure\u00a0the safety of navigation\u00a0to guarantee\u00a0an\u00a0evacuation. We do not wish to see a return to escalation.\u00a0So,\u00a0for\u00a0now,\u00a0we need to focus on\u00a0evacuation,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\u00a0What does international law say?<\/p>\n

The legal framework for all maritime activities is set out in a multilateral treaty known as the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Key principles<\/p>\n

Ships have the right of \u201ctransit passage\u201d through international straits\u00a0Coastal States must not block or disrupt navigation\u00a0<\/p>\n

In plain terms, the strait must remain open to international shipping.<\/p>\n

There is one major caveat, however. Iran is not a Party to UNCLOS, but the transit passage system is generally considered part of international customary law.<\/p>\n

Will shipping resume \u2013 and how?<\/p>\n

There is the international will to reopen the strait but \u201cship operators will need to carefully\u00a0assess the\u00a0risk\u00a0situation,\u201d said IMO\u2019s Damien Chevallier adding that the \u201cresumption of routine trade will depend on\u00a0the maritime security situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Map<\/p>\n

Vessels follow an internationally agreed route through the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the UN and partners are engaging in diplomatic discussions to find a safe, secure and efficient way for ships to pass through the strait.<\/p>\n

Shipping is expected to resume through long-established routes, the key mechanism for which is the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Proposed by Iran and Oman and adopted by the IMO in 1968, it designates shipping lanes for maritime traffic in order to:<\/p>\n

Reduce collisions\u00a0Improve safety\u00a0Maintain predictable transit even during times of international tension<\/p>\n

The few vessels that have transited through to the Gulf of Oman over the past month have taken a northern route close to Iran, reportedly so the authorities there can monitor their movements more closely.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What next?<\/p>\n

The successful reopening of the Strait of Hormuz ultimately depends on the ceasefire holding, diplomacy working, maritime coordination and full respect for internationally agreed navigation rules.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The strait has become a global flashpoint which has driven up the price of oil, threatened the safety…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":382229,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":{"0":"post-382228","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-news","11":"tag-top-stories","12":"tag-topnews","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=382228"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382228\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/382229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=382228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=382228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=382228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}