Shipping slows down in the Strait of Hormuz as Iran threatens retaliation, while traffic increases in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait

(1) Earlier this week, shipping speed in the Strait of Hormuz slowed down, with Kpler data showing that the number of cargo ships passing through on Monday dropped to 7, down from 8 the previous day. (2) On Monday, Iran warned that it would retaliate against any new attacks by the United States and stated that energy infrastructure in the Gulf region — including U.S. oil and gas-related assets — is in a vulnerable state. (3) In contrast, the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait saw an increase in traffic, with a total of 29 cargo ships passing through on Monday, up from 17 the previous day; some vessels may have turned off their transponders while passing through and therefore were not included in the statistics.