More than 20 commercial ships transit Hormuz Strait in 24 hours — WSJ

More than 20 commercial vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, the The Wall Street Journal reported, citing U.S. officials.

The report said traffic remains significantly below pre-conflict levels, although tankers, bulk carriers and container ships were among those transiting both into and out of the Gulf.

Some vessels were operating with transponders switched off, the report said. U.S. forces are not escorting commercial ships but are maintaining contact with them, according to officials cited by the newspaper.

Separately, U.S. Central Command said more than 10,000 personnel, supported by ships and aircraft, were involved in enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports. It said no vessel had breached the blockade in the previous 24 hours, with six commercial ships turning back.

CENTCOM said the measures do not apply to vessels transiting the Strait without calling at Iranian ports.