Hormuz latest:Just three ships have crossed in the past 12 hours, shipping data indicates.
Iran's military after Sunday's US seizure of Iran-flagged cargo ship: will"take the necessary action against the US military"
Vance will try again in Pakistan, though still unclear whether Iranians will join -Pakistanis say yes, but timeline is fluid.
Xi to Saudi crown prince important phone call: "the first time the Chinese leader had called for the reopening of the strategically vital waterway."
Al Jazeera and others have written the strait is at avirtual standstill currently, after themajor Sunday incidentwhich saw the US Navy intercept, fire upon, and board an uncooperative ship which was trying to pass the US-imposed blockade. It was an Iranian-flagged ship which was forcibly stopped in the Gulf of Oman, where some dozen US warships have been patrolling.
Just three ships have crossed in the past 12 hours, shipping data indicates. The same publication records that "Oil products tanker Nero, which is under UK sanctions, has left the Gulf and is sailing through the strait, according to satellite analysis from data analytics specialists SynMax and tracking data from the Kpler platform." And: "Two other ships – a chemical tanker and a liquefied natural gas tanker – have also sailed into the Gulf through the critical waterway separately, the data showed."
On Monday a spokesman for Iran's military reiterated a threat to"take the necessary action against the US military"after the Sunday US interdiction. He described that that Iran's military exercised restraint over the incident, not taking immediate action, in order to protect the ship's crew, but will act "once it is ensured that the lives of the families and crew of the vessel attacked by the United States are safeguarded." Apparently the crew's family members are accompanying them aboard the vessel, the statement suggests.
⚡️ US military releases footage of “seizure of Iranian ship Touska in Strait of Hormuz”pic.twitter.com/d7qk7G5oeC
China's President Xi Jinping on Monday demanded the uninterrupted passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz in a phone call with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, state news agency Xinhua reports. He urged the normalization of shipping traffic after about 50 days of disruption which obviously and significantly impacts Chinese oil imports.
"Normal navigation through the Strait of Hormuz should be maintained, this is in the shared interests of regional countries and the international community,"Xi said. He called for an immediate,comprehensive ceasefireand insisted disputes be resolved through political and diplomatic means.
Source: ZeroHedge News
