The ceasefire between the US and Iran is being tested
Fox News anchor Shannon Bream covers the growing conflict in the Middle East as Trey Yingst reports from Tel Aviv. The US carried out strikes against Iran’s missile and drone storage facilities after Iran targeted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Additionally, Iran launched drones targeting Kuwait and Bahrain, while Israel attacked Hezbollah in Lebanon. These events coincide with the agreement on the diplomatic framework between Israel and Lebanon.
NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
A “new normal” of high risk and uncertain control is affecting the Strait of Hormuz, shipping company Hapag-Lloyd warned on Sunday, as military strikes escalated and conflicting directives threw the route into operational chaos.
The German shipping chief’s comments also came as Tehran “immediately” began moving millions of barrels of crude oil from Kharg Island for the first time in days, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward AI.
“In Kharg, T-Jetty and Western Terminal are loaded simultaneously for the first time in days; East Waiting Area holds 28 tanks, 27 black, indicating that the Iranian crude export cycle is restarting,” said Windward AI in a post on X.
Output consists of approximately 4.12 million barrels of liquid assets, including crude oil and other liquid hydrocarbons. Of that amount, about 3.91 million barrels are crude oil, said statistics firm Vortexa.
GULF SHIPPING ACTIVITIES PUT CLOSE TO IRAN, US QUIETLY PREPARING FOR AN EXISTING STRIKE: ‘RISE DANGER’
Commercial cargo ships and crude oil tankers are anchored in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Muscat, Oman, as they prepare to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important trade corridor. (Shady Alassar/Anadolu)
“We have to admit that for some months this is normal in the Persian Gulf region,” Hapag-Lloyd AG spokeswoman Hanja Maria Richter told Fox News Digital.
“The situation has been tense since the beginning of this conflict,” he said before adding that constant vigilance has become essential for operations in the region.
“We have been and continue to assess the risks and situations regularly with our security partners, all relevant authorities and our people ashore and on board,” Richter said.
“It’s a conflict region, so we’re looking at this with each ship that we move into the region and we’re assessing the risks of every ship and every crew member.”
IRAN STARTS DRIVING ‘THROUGH’ INTO GULF OF OMAN, SHADOW TANKER BOUND BY GOVERNMENT CONTINUES
The USS George HW Bush is transiting the Arabian Sea as the US military enforces a naval embargo against Iran and supports Project Freedom in the Strait of Hormuz, according to US Central Command. (CENTCOM)
Richter spoke as the US Central Command (CENTCOM) began airstrikes on Iran, including the island of Qeshm on June 26 after a ship was hit in the crisis.
This prompted Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to retaliate by targeting US military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.
Adding to the risk of a strike is the tension over control of transport routes.
Lloyd’s List described the rift in the waterway as “a confused, two-tiered system now operating under strain, which remains divided between a northern route controlled by Iran and a southern ‘highway’ protected by the US, pre-war routes unusable due to the dangers of mines, which separate them.”
Iran is responsible for managing and fully opening sea traffic through the Strait of Hormuz under the latest understanding, said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday, according to Iran International.
EXPERTS DISCUSS HIGH CITY ‘JEWEL OF THIS PARTY’ HEZBOLLAH — TERROR GROUP WITH BLOOD ON HIS HANDS
The ships were docked in the Strait of Hormuz near Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on May 4. A May 15 report said the ship was seized off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and is being brought into Iranian waters. (Amirhossein Khorgooei/ISNA/AFP via Getty Images)
Iranian state television said that passing through the Strait of Hormuz requires cooperation with the IRGC.
Hapag-Lloyd pushed back against any future attempts to weaponize or make money by using the important world chokepoint.
“It would be unfair to charge a fee to navigate international waters,” Richter said.
“Tolls for infrastructure like the Suez Canal or the Panama Canal are a different story, as they represent a huge investment in infrastructure. This is not the case with the Strait of Hormuz.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
While thousands of workers are still caught up in conflicting navy orders, Hapag-Lloyd said it had successfully navigated the first bottleneck.
“The good news is that we were able to get all the Hapag-Lloyd vessels affected by the temporary closure of the Strait of Hormuz and which had been waiting in the Persian Gulf to leave the Gulf safely,” Richter noted before adding that “the safety of our employees is our top priority.”
