Commercial ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz increased on Friday, according to a statement issued by the United States Central Command (Centcom) and reported by Al Jazeera.
Centcom said safe passage through the international waterway remained intact, with 55 merchant vessels transiting the strait and transporting large volumes of cargo as well as more than 17 million barrels of oil to global markets.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 20, 2026
The statement, posted on X, said the US military remained present and vigilant to ensure that all aspects of the agreement with Iran were observed.
The remarks came shortly after Iran announced the closure of the strategic waterway, citing Israeli actions in Lebanon as a US failure to honour commitments related to a ceasefire.







