29 July 2026.

Situation

The Strait of Hormuz remains the focal point of an acute shipping and energy crisis. PortWatch's most recent published day, 2026-07-23, recorded 10 transits against a pre-crisis baseline of 88 per day, reflecting structural disruption to deep-draft commercial traffic. Separately, site AIS tracking logged 729 port arrivals across Hormuz-area ports on both the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman sides in the most recent 24 hours; that count updates live. Brent stood at $90.40, up 3.41% over the prior 24 hours, as of 23:52 UTC. The Crisis Pressure composite is in the extreme band, with physical transit deviation as the top contributor; the Escalation Forecast composite sits in the elevated band, driven primarily by Polymarket escalation contracts. Those two indices diverge, with current operational pressure registering more severely than the forward outlook. On the policy front, The Jerusalem Post reports, without independent confirmation, that US Central Command has highlighted military assets deployed in an Iran blockade. Newscord.org, unverified and single-source, reports Iran rejected Oman's proposal and warned the strait remains closed. Reuters reports new US sanctions targeting insurers and additional tankers. US officials have separately accused Iran's IRGC of threatening vessels while maintaining the waterway is technically open, per ANI News.

Recorded