The geopolitical landscape is once again tense as the US and Iran engage in a series of strikes, coinciding with the burial of Iran’s late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The exchanges, which continued into Thursday, have had a profound impact on maritime activity in the Strait of Hormuz a critical waterway for global trade.
The US Central Command (Centcom) reported striking 90 Iranian military targets including air defense systems and military logistics infrastructure along Iran’s coastline. These strikes were aimed at degrading Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping and innocent civilian mariners in the region. Meanwhile, Iran claims to have targeted US assets in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar with additional strikes reported in Kuwait, Jordan, and Iraq later in the day.
The Human Toll and Strategic Targets
State media in Iran reported that 14 people have been killed in the past two days of hostilities. Additionally, targets near the Bushehr nuclear power plant were reportedly hit, although the US has not commented on these specific strikes. The escalation comes at a time when Iran is mourning the loss of its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on 28 February during US and Israeli strikes.
Khamenei’s Burial and Political Reactions
The burial of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei marked the end of six days of funeral events. His body was laid to rest in the memorial hall of the shrine of Imam Reza in his home city of Mashhad. The event drew huge crowds, with many holding Iranian flags and signs carrying death threats directed at US President Donald Trump. Notably absent from the ceremony was Khamenei’s son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei who has not been seen in public since the attack that killed his father.
Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf who also serves as the country’s chief negotiator with the US, issued a stark warning on social media. He stated, “America still hasn’t learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free.” Ghalibaf emphasized that the Strait of Hormuz will only open under Iranian arrangements, not “American threats.”
Impact on Maritime Activity
The ongoing hostilities have had a significant impact on maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Phil Belcher, marine director at Intertanko an international organization for independent tanker owners, reported a dramatic drop in the number of ships traveling through the strait. The daily figure has plummeted from about 70 a week ago to around 30 far below the normal number of 130 ships seen before the conflict began earlier this year.
Belcher noted that the number of ships traveling via the southern route closer to Oman is now in single figures. He attributed this decline to the exuberance of optimism that followed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US last month, which has since been overshadowed by the current cycle of violence. This unpredictability, he said, is having a profound impact on both business and the seafarers themselves.
