Vessel traffic around Hormuz as Trump gives Iran until Tuesday night to open Strait

On Sunday an oil tanker loaded with Iraqi crude was seen passing through the Strait of Hormuz close to the Iranian coast, a day after Iran said Iraq was exempt from any restrictions to transit the vital sea route, data from LSEG and Kpler showed.

The Ocean Thunder loaded about 1 million barrels of Basrah Heavy crude on March 2 and is expected to discharge its cargo in Pengerang, Malaysia, in mid-April, Kpler data showed.

Three Omani-operated tankers, a French-owned container ship and a Japanese-owned gas carrier have crossed the Strait of Hormuz since Thursday (April 2), shipping data showed, reflecting Iran's policy to allow passage for vessels it deems friendly.

Trump told the Wall Street Journal on Sunday that Iran would lose power plants and bridges if it did not open the Strait by Tuesday evening. He sent a similar message on his Truth Social in a post laden with expletives. 

The conduit for around a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas supply has been largely shut down since the war began five weeks ago.

However, in the kind of mixed messaging that has baffled supporters, foes and financial markets alike, Trump told Fox News on Sunday that Iran was negotiating, with a deal possible by Monday.

Iran initially shut the Strait - a route for about a fifth of global oil and LNG flows - after U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran at the end of February led to a widening conflict. Later, it said it would permit transits by ships with no U.S. or Israeli links.