2026-03-04 17:42
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2026-03-04 17:42
Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, blocked by Iran after the US-Israeli attack, has fallen by 90%. within a week – the Kpler analytical company reported on Wednesday.
“The analysis of shipping traffic indicates that the transit of tankers is currently 90% smaller than last week,” Kpler wrote on the X platform.
“Unlike other types of ships, which have largely stopped traffic, some tankers are still passing through the strait from east to west. Some of them have their transponders turned off,” said Matt Wright, an analyst at Kpler.
On Wednesday, one of the world's largest container operators, the Danish company MAERSK, announced that it was suspending all reservations for its vessels to and from the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia until further notice.
There are already 20 Iranian ships on the counter
US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported on Wednesday that American forces had attacked or sunk more than 20 Iranian ships. “Today, there is no longer a single Iranian ship in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz or the Gulf of Oman,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander.
“U.S. forces attacked or sank more than 20 Iranian regime ships to the bottom of the ocean. Last night, CENTCOM added a Soleimani-class warship to the list,” the statement reads. Soleimani-class ship – is a double-hull corvette used to conduct patrol and pursuit operations.
On Tuesday evening, Admiral Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, announced that since the beginning of the operation against Iran, i.e. on February 28, American forces have attacked approximately 2,000 people. targets in this country and 17 Iranian ships were destroyed.
– For years, the Iranian regime has intimidated international shipping. Not today There is no longer a single Iranian ship in the Persian Gulfthe Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman, the commander said.
AI helps in attacks
The Pentagon is using Claude, an AI model created by Anthropic, to select and sequence targets in an attack on Iran, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday. The Pentagon announced sanctions against the company just before the start of the operation due to a dispute over restrictions on the military's use of the model.
As the daily writes, citing American officials, the Pentagon uses the Maven Smart System (MSS) from Palantir, integrated with Claude. This system, also based on Palantir's massive open-source intelligence collection, was intended to suggest “hundreds of targets” in Iran, also prioritizing them. Claude was also to be used to assess strikes, track logistics and compile intelligence information.
While Claude's integration with Maven began during the Joe Biden administration, use of the system has dramatically increased during Donald Trump's administration. Last year 20,000 people were supposed to use it. soldiers. The Washington Post and other media previously reported that Claude was also used during the operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
The Strait of Hormuz is considered a hotspot for oil transportation. Between one-fifth and one-third of the world's maritime transport of crude oil and a large proportion of natural gas flows through the strait. It is the only sea route for oil from Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq.
On Saturday, February 28, after the US and Israel attacked Iran, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) issued a statement in which it announced that ships in the Persian Gulf are not allowed to pass through the strait, which is under Iran's jurisdiction. Hundreds of tankers were disabled on both sides of the crossing.
The IRGC confirmed on Wednesday that Hormuz is under the complete control of the Islamic Republic Navy. (PAP)
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