Tehran, Iran – Iran and the United States have resumed mediated talks, temporarily suspending military actions. However, the conflict continues to affect international maritime routes beyond the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s domestic markets.

The strategic Strait of Hormuz remains nearly closed, while disruptions have spread to the Red Sea, where Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen have declared a blockade against Saudi Arabia, targeting vessels near the Bab al-Mandeb strait and bombing Saudi oil facilities. Additionally, tensions escalated after Ukraine attacked an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea.

The Ministry of Petroleum reported on Saturday that Iran has sold $11.5 billion worth of crude oil during the war, including $6.5 billion during the period of a now-suspended memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with the US last month. Meanwhile, the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that as of Saturday, US forces had redirected 12 commercial vessels attempting to breach the blockade established since mid-July, disabled two vessels that did not comply, and boarded two others to ensure compliance.

Iran’s government revealed last month that approximately 230 million cubic metres per day of its pre-war natural gas output of about 650 million cubic metres was lost due to US and Israeli bombing, exacerbating electricity and petrochemical shortages. Sekhavat Asadi, managing director of the Pars Special Economic Energy Zone, said on Sunday that Iran expects to restore over 100 million cubic metres per day of this lost production capacity within the coming months.

Despite ongoing mediation efforts, uncertainty remains as the risk of further disruptions in international waterways grows.

Sources