Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed to a near standstill on Friday following attacks on two additional vessels and renewed warnings of prolonged US economic pressure against Iran.

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company said two of its vessels were attacked while transiting the strait on Thursday evening. The United Arab Emirates blamed Iran, which did not immediately comment on the allegation.

Kpler ship-tracking analysis identified only two completed transits on Friday: a grain carrier entering Iranian waters and an empty dry bulk vessel travelling in the opposite direction. An empty liquefied petroleum products tanker was also sailing into the Gulf through the waterway. No crude oil shipments were visible in the tracking data.

Nine vessels crossed the strait on Thursday, compared with five on Wednesday and an average of 12 per day during August. The figures may not include ships operating with their transponders switched off, but they remain far below the more than 130 daily transits recorded before the conflict launched by the United States and Israel against Iran in February.

Iran resumed attacks on ships it accuses of attempting to use the strait without its permission after a ceasefire established under a June agreement broke down. A senior Iranian source said on Wednesday that talks aimed at building on that agreement had made no progress.

Torbjorn Solvedt, principal Middle East analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, said Iran’s ability to restrict navigation through Hormuz, alongside threats to regional energy infrastructure, represents a key source of leverage in negotiations.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US Navy could maintain its regional presence and enforce the blockade of Iran indefinitely by rotating vessels. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also indicated that Washington planned to announce additional economic measures against Tehran in the coming week.

Iran has said it will not allow the waterway to reopen until its conditions are met, including the removal of economic sanctions and the release of frozen Iranian assets. An Iranian parliamentary committee on Thursday approved a plan for the strait that reportedly includes a ban on the transit of assets and equipment linked to the United States, Israel and other countries classified by Tehran as hostile.

The United States temporarily lifted its blockade of Iranian shipping and ports for one month in mid-June before reimposing it. Washington has previously said the blockade would be removed once Iran and Oman reach an agreement restoring commercial navigation.

The disruption is also affecting oil markets and regional sourcing patterns. Brent crude futures traded at about $87 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate futures were around $81. India’s reliance on Russian crude reached a record in July, and Asian refiners bought US crude during the week to secure future supplies.

Before the conflict, approximately one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas volumes passed through the Strait of Hormuz.