![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787236931370_2008-hormuz.jpeg\"\/)
Strait of Hormuz. Photo: IRNA\/VNA<\/p>\n Strait of Hormuz. Photo: IRNA\/VNA<\/p>\n
According to Qatari media, on August 18, Trump declared that the Strait of Hormuz was open to shipping, despite Iran’s<\/a> assertion that the waterway was closed to all vessels without Tehran’s prior approval. Meanwhile, the US is also implementing a naval blockade targeting ships linked to Iran.<\/p>\n At the same time, Trump threatened to bomb Oman. This move appeared to be aimed at preventing Oman from reaching an agreement with Tehran on jointly managing this strategic shipping lane.<\/p>\n So whose demands are ships actually obeying when passing through the Hormuz? Amid conflicting claims from the U.S. and Iran, data on maritime activity through the strait may reveal which side is exerting greater deterrence against commercial vessels.<\/p>\n Two main routes through the Strait of Hormuz<\/p>\n Before the conflict erupted, the Strait of Hormuz was essentially considered a single, undivided shipping lane, not divided into Iranian or Omani lanes. Ships entered and exited along pre-established traffic channels, primarily through the central part of the strait.<\/p>\n The situation changed as tensions between the US and Iran escalated. This shipping lane is now divided into two main channels.<\/p>\n Iran requested that the ships use the northern route, running close to its coast, near the islands of Larak and Qeshm, and then connecting directly to Iranian ports and offshore facilities.<\/p>\n The other route lies further south, near Oman and further from the Iranian coast. This is the route Washington requires ships to use, and it is also the route commercial shipping companies choose when operating under the protection of the U.S. Navy.<\/p>\n Which route will the ships choose?<\/p>\n According to data from Kpler, a maritime intelligence provider, 112 ships carrying crude oil, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and liquefied natural gas (LNG) passed through the Strait of Hormuz between August 1 and 19, in both directions into and out of the Gulf.<\/p>\n Of these, 21 ships openly use the Iran route, while only two officially follow the Oman route.<\/p>\n As many as 89 remaining vessels, equivalent to more than 80% of the total number of oil and gas tankers passing through Hormuz during this period, traveled along unclassified routes. These were cases where the voyages could not be fully tracked or clearly identified as belonging to a specific route, due to the vessels switching off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) or the AIS data not matching the corridors that Kpler classified as the Iran or Oman route.<\/p>\n Mohamed Rafik Halitim, head of customer relations in the maritime and cargo sector at Kpler, said that the use of unclassified routes makes it difficult to determine how many ships have followed the Oman route or to accurately confirm the itinerary based on the available data.<\/p>\n Including dry cargo and chemical vessels, a total of 236 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz during that period.<\/p>\n Of those, 83 ships openly used the Iran route, only three openly used the Oman route, and two followed the old pre-conflict route, passing through the central part of the strait.<\/p>\n As many as 148 vessels, equivalent to more than 6\/10 of the ships that pass through the Hormuz, have switched off their identification systems or are traveling along undetermined routes.<\/p>\n Thus, 35% of the ships openly used the Iran route, while only a small number openly followed the Oman route or the pre-war Central route.<\/p>\n Why do ships have to turn off their identification devices? <\/p>\n Since the outbreak of war, both Iran and the US have not only issued warnings but also attacked ships that each side claims violated regulations or navigation rules they imposed in the strait. In this context, some ships have switched off their identification devices to reduce their chances of being detected and targeted by military<\/a> forces.<\/p>\n Neil Quilliam, an expert in Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Programme, said that turning off identification devices can reduce the ability to accurately determine a ship’s location and trajectory, but at the same time increases risks to maritime safety and transparency. He added that, under current conditions, some operators believe the commercial and security benefits outweigh these risks.<\/p>\n On August 8, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) accused Iran of using missiles to attack an oil tanker belonging to the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) as the ship attempted to pass through the strait.<\/p>\n ADNOC stated that since the war broke out, 15 of its ships have been attacked by missiles and drones while transiting the strait, resulting in the death of one crew member and injuries to 20 others. However, ADNOC has not attributed responsibility to any particular side.<\/p>\n Last month, the U.S. fired on an oil tanker transiting the strait toward Iran’s Kharg Island. Washington launched Hellfire missiles at the ship after it ignored multiple warnings.<\/p>\n On August 11, a Navy helicopter also fired two Hellfire missiles at the Panamanian-flagged cargo ship Vela Nova. Washington accused the ship of attempting to circumvent the blockade of Iranian ports in the Gulf of Oman, a shipping lane that directly connects to the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n Besides the risk of attack, turning off the identification device also allows ships to transfer cargo between vessels during their voyage without being detected.<\/p>\n Marc Ayoub, an energy policy researcher and consultant, said data from the past two weeks shows that several Gulf nations, including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Kuwait, have been moving goods through the Omani route by disabling ship tracking systems and transferring cargo between vessels. <\/p>\n Some Iranian ships also use the Oman route, often in conjunction with transshipment, to circumvent sanctions against Iran and US blockades.<\/p>\n Are ships more wary of Iran or the US? <\/p>\n The fact that most ships have switched off their identification devices or are using unidentified routes makes it impossible to know exactly how many ships are using the Iran route and how many are following the Oman route. Therefore, it is not possible to conclude which side has absolute control of the strait. However, data suggests that ships appear to be more wary of Iran than the United States.<\/p>\n![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787236931656_2008-oman1.jpeg\"\/)
Ships in the Strait of Hormuz near the town of Khasab, northern Oman, on June 20, 2026. Photo: IRNA\/VNA<\/p>\n![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787236930964_vna_potal_cang_thang_iran_-_uae_gia_tang_tai_eo_bien_hormuz_8956008.jpeg\"\/)
A view of the Strait of Hormuz. Photo: THX\/VNA<\/p>\n