Only five ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz Thursday, far below Iran’s pledge as negotiations begin

Only five ships moved through the Strait of Hormuz on April 9 during the ceasefire agreement between Iran and the U.S. and Israel, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data. That number of ships, three tankers and two other vessels, is significantly below the “minimum of fifteen” ships Iran had promised would pass through the Strait during the expected two-week ceasefire, and is vastly lower than the pre-war count of 130 to 160 ships. The number also underscores an uncomfortable truth about the ceasefire in the war in Iran: while the U.S. has stopped its attacks, Iran has been able to functionally keep the Strait closed.

There have been plenty of days during the war which saw significantly more traffic than these seven ships that have passed during the ceasefire—including multiple days last week alone that saw 13 ships crossing the waterway. On Wednesday, the day after the ceasefire was announced, only four passed, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.

It seems like the Pandora’s box is...