Iran conducts first attack since April 8 ceasefire, hits UAE oil export terminal at the Port of Fujairah

 Iran attacks UAE; U.S. says it sank boats in Strait of Hormuz

 

 

JMIC Update 40 for tanker traffic in the Middle East April 26-May 2, 2026

Middle East Tanker Traffic April 26-May 2, 2026

Strait of Hormuz E: 1.85/day

Strait of Hormuz W: 1.28/day

Total: 3.13/day

Normal (2022): 70/day

Down 95.5%

 

Bab-el-Mandeb Strait SE: 7.0/day

Bab-el-Mandeb Strait NW: 7.42/day

Total: 14.42/day

Normal (2022): 30/day

Down 51.9%

 

 

JMIC Update 39 for tanker traffic in the Middle East April 23-29, 2026

Middle East Tanker Traffic April 23-29, 2026

Strait of Hormuz E: 2.14/day

Strait of Hormuz W: 0.28/day

Total: 2.42/day

Normal (2022): 70/day

Down 96.5%

 

Bab-el-Mandeb Strait SE: 6.57/day

Bab-el-Mandeb Strait NW: 7.71/day

Total: 14.28/day

Normal (2022): 30/day

Down 52.4%

 

 

JMIC Update 38 for tanker traffic in the Middle East April 21-27, 2026

Middle East Tanker Traffic April 21-27, 2026

Strait of Hormuz E: 1.71/day

Strait of Hormuz W: 0.57/day

Total: 2.28/day

Normal (2022): 70/day

Down 96.7%

 

Bab-el-Mandeb Strait SE: 6.42/day

Bab-el-Mandeb Strait NW: 6.85/day

Total: 13.27/day

Normal (2022): 30/day

Down 55.8% 

 

JMIC Update 37 for tanker traffic in the Straits of Hormuz and Bab-el-Mandeb 19-25 April 2026

 SoH E: 2.4/day

SoH W: 1.0/day (ZERO 23-25 Apr)

Normal 2022: 70

Down 95% 

 

BAM SE: 7.1/day

BAM NW: 8.4/day

Normal 2022: 30 

Down 48% 

Well, Trump did promise to triple the mine sweepers in the Strait of Hormuz lol

 

Strait of Hormuz/Bab-el-Mandeb Strait JMIC Update 036 for 16-22 April 2026 tanker traffic

SoH E tankers: 2.57 per day April 16-22

SoH W tankers: 2.00 per day

Normal (2022): ~70.00 total per day

Down 93% 

BAM tankers SE: 6.57 per day April 16-22

BAM tankers NW: 6.28 per day 

Normal (2022): ~30.00 total per day

Down 57% 

 

Just a coincidence, I'm sure

 

Trump orders Navy to ‘shoot and kill’ boats laying mines in Hormuz Strait

Komrade Karoline insists that Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz

"The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command."

  

Does anyone remember The Bedford Incident?

 "If they fire one, we'll fire one".

With the United States blockading all supply coming in to Iran and seizing some vessels, there are roughly 100 container ships trapped in the Persian Gulf from which Iran can choose anytime it wishes to go shopping. 

Iran says it has seized two ships in Strait of Hormuz after U.S. extends ceasefire

Iran’s navy on Wednesday said it had seized two container ships in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, shortly after the U.S. extended the ceasefire and as diplomats seek to bring the countries together for peace talks.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy said in a statement that it had seized the ships for what it claimed were maritime violations and transferred them to Iranian shores, according to state media. CNBC could not independently verify the claim.

The announcement came after U.K. maritime authorities said two ships had been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian media reported a third vessel had also been targeted by the country’s military. ...

 

JMIC Update 035 for the Middle East maritime region is confusing

 The data boxes cover April 14-20 but are entitled April 12-18.

And what is "2BAM Total" lol? Only The Sweet know for sure.

Anyway tankers exiting the Strait of Hormuz E now average 3/day April 19-20 vs. 2/day in the previous five day period. Big whoop.

Tanker traffic in and out of the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb averages 20/day April 19-20 vs. 8.2/day in the previous five day period.

Is that reflecting a mad dash before the ceasefire ends tomorrow? 

JMIC update 034 for the Middle East maritime region shows Strait of Hormuz combined cargo and tanker transits averaging 7.5 vessels per day April 12-18 vs. 138 normally

 But tankers exiting the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz average just 2 per day April 12-18.

After the 13th, just 10 tankers have exited over 5 days, also 2 per day. 

Tankers transiting the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait to and from the Red Sea, whether northwest (3.5/day) and possibly through the Suez or southeast (4/day) and headed to East Asia, average 7.5 per day.

Suezmax tankers carrying up to 1 million barrels of oil are the largest which can pass fully laden through the Suez.

Before the war, a dozen or so VLCCs, which have a capacity of 2 million barrels, transited the Strait of Hormuz daily out of 65-70 tankers which did so.

Total SoH tanker exits daily used to average 25-30.

Yanbu on the Red Sea can fill 2-5 tankers daily depending on the size (maybe 4 Suezmax), plus 2 per day out of the Persian Gulf, so we are at the max operating at 23% of normal tanker exits in the last week (7/30).

And again, that's just tankers, not a statement of actual oil volume.

And which of these were stopped by the U.S. Navy after transit only the Navy knows, as do people whose full time job it is to know, which isn't me. 

If Monday pays attention to reality, oil prices will rise. 

 

Dumbass Trump, who never paid the slightest attention to what's been happening in and to Ukraine, is surprised how easily Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz with drones

 

The Wall Street Journal, here:

... The strait has been a particular source of frustration. Before the U.S. went to war, Trump told his team that Iran’s government would likely capitulate before closing the strait, and that even if Tehran tried, the U.S. military could handle it, The Wall Street Journal has reported. Some of the president’s advisers were caught off guard that tanker traffic would grind to a halt so quickly after the bombing began, according to a person in contact with the White House. 

Trump has since marveled at the ease with which the strait was closed. A guy with a drone can shut it down, Trump has said to people, expressing belated irritation that the key waterway was so vulnerable. He has publicly oscillated between demanding support from allies to help open it and insisting that the U.S. doesn’t need or want military assistance. ... 

White House concerns about security threats have been heightened, aides said.

In recent weeks, for example, Trump and his team have noticed an increase in security. On a cloudless night in April at Mar-a-Lago, every umbrella was up on the patio in an unusual arrangement, guests said. Club members were told that there was an effort to limit drone visibility, a Mar-a-Lago member said. 

Rubio told others about standing outside his home at the military compound where he lives and watching a suspicious drone, administration officials said. Secret Service protection teams have expanded to carry weapons White House officials had never seen before. ...

 

Fars News Agency: Iranian silence is not golden lol

 Iranian state news outlet questions foreign minister’s ‘unexpected tweet’ on Hormuz Strait 

... The Fars News Agency added that Iranians worry about the “absolute and strange silence” from the country’s Supreme National Security Council and its negotiators.

“They [Iranians] accept it, but it is expected that at least a clear explanation be provided regarding the ‘reason for silence,'” the agency continued. “Public opinion raises this question: if it is in the country’s interest that the details of the negotiations or recent developments not be publicized, why is this very interest and the reason for avoiding transparency not explained to the people?”

The Fars News Agency called on its government to not “allow the enemy’s narrative and hostile media to fill the created narrative vacuum by toying with the spirit and psyche of society.”

“These days, Twitter and short, pithy statements are no longer a suitable medium for persuading domestic public opinion; rather, even this very ‘not explaining’ requires explanation,” the agency wrote in its last post in the thread. ...

 

I wonder if the White House can receive VHF

 

I wonder how much Trump paid the Iranian foreign minister to post this Friday morning at 0845 hours

 

President Orwell wants you to know that closed is open

 

In case you aren't convinced yet, Iran shot at the Sanmar Herald this morning

 Iran says Strait of Hormuz is closed again as vessels attempting to cross come under gunfire

... Shortly after the Iranian statements, the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations said a tanker reported being fired on by two gunboats operated by Iran’s IRGC. The incident happened 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman, the UKMTO said. The tanker and its crew were reported safe, and authorities are investigating, the UKMTO said. ...

 

 

Buffoon says what?

 

Trump says U.S. has ‘good news’ on Iran as Tehran says the Strait of Hormuz is closed again

... Ghalibaf, quickly disputed Trump’s claim that Tehran had cleared the strait for transit.

“With the continuation of the blockade, the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open,” Ghalibaf wrote in a translated X post.

Indeed, video footage from ship tracking firm Kpler shows a number of tankers and cargo ships did try to exit the waterway on Friday, but turned back.

 “They’ve clearly not been given approval to pass through,” Matt Smith, director of commodity research at Kpler, told CNBC. ...

Nothing but lies