First ships pull back from Hormuz as Israel-Iran war drags on: What to know
Missile fire between the Middle East’s two biggest foes continued into its fifth day on Tuesday, with more than 220 people killed in Iran and more than 20 in Israel.
A leading maritime body representing more than 2,000 global shipowners said it has seen “a modest drop” in the number of vessels traversing the Strait of Hormuz, as the conflict between Israel and Iran escalates.
Missile exchanges between the Middle East’s two biggest foes entered a fifth day on Tuesday, with more than 220 people killed in Iran and more than 20 in Israel. Israel began attacking Iran on Friday, saying that it wanted to prevent Tehran from developing an atomic bomb.
Jakob Larsen, head of security at Baltic and International Maritime Council, a shipping association whose members represent 62% of the world’s tonnage, said in a statement to Al-Monitor, “The conflict levels seem to be escalating, causing concerns in the shipowner community. We are now seeing a modest drop in the number of ships sailing through the area.”
But he noted that US authorities reported on Monday that there are no indications of a threat from Iran toward commercial ships other than ships with links to Israel.
