On the morning of July 6, Iran resumed strikes on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow passage through which a significant share of the world's oil trade must flow. Within hours, the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) — a body operating under the US-led Combined Maritime Forces — raised its threat assessment to "severe," its second-highest warning level. Yet ships kept moving. Analysis of public data from Global Fishing Watch, an open-source platform that combines satellite imagery with automatic identification system (AIS) signals, reveals that at least 84 commercial vessels transited the strait across two periods: from the start of the conflict on 28 February until the ceasefire announcement on 7 April, and again following the renewed attacks on 6 and 7 July.

That figure aligns broadly with a US claim that it had facilitated passage for roughly 70 ships, while acknowledging that not all of them were transmitting AIS signals. Because vessels have repeatedly switched off their transponders while crossing — a documented practice during the conflict — the real total is likely considerably higher than the data can confirm. Those that did transit chose between two corridors: the southern Omani route and the northern channel running through Iranian-controlled waters, according to the latest JMIC advisory. The choice itself speaks to the impossible arithmetic shippers now face — one path skirts a hostile navy, the other passes through a minefield that has been reported in the pre-war shipping lanes.