Hormuz shipping traffic unchanged amid US-Iran stalemate

SINGAPORE- Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday was unchanged from the day before as discussions to end the war between the United States and Iran remained deadlocked, according to the latest shipping data.

Commodity vessel transits at Hormuz totalled nine on Wednesday, unchanged from Tuesday, shiptracking data from Kpler showed.

Transits remained low amid conflicting claims between the U.S. and Iran. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday no talks were taking place and that the strait was open. Iran said the waterway remained shut.

Meanwhile, traffic slowed further at the other major Middle East waterway, the Bab el-Mandeb strait.

A total of 27 commodity vessels passed through Bab el-Mandeb on Wednesday, down from 32 on Tuesday, Kpler data showed.

Some vessels may be sailing through the waterways with their transponders turned off, which is not considered in the counts.

Reporting by Jeslyn Lerh; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Tom Hogue/Reuters