Washington, United States. Two Chinese tankers laden with oil exited the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, shipping data showed, amid comments from President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance pointing to progress toward ending the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.
Tanker movements and shipping data
Two Chinese ships, among a handful of supertankers carrying Iraqi crude exiting the Gulf this month, passed through the narrow strait carrying around 4 million barrels of crude, according to data from LSEG and Kpler.
Trump and Vance comments on prospects for a deal
Trump said on Tuesday the war would be over “very quickly,” while Vance cited progress in talks with Tehran about an agreement to end hostilities. “We’re in a pretty good spot here,” Vance told a White House press briefing.
Trump said he had paused a planned resumption of hostilities following what he described as a new proposal by Tehran to end the conflict. “I was an hour away from making the decision to go today,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.
He said Iran’s leaders were seeking a deal and added that a new U.S. attack would happen in coming days if no agreement was reached.
Political pressure and energy supply disruption
The United States has been struggling to end the war it began with Israel nearly three months ago. Trump has repeatedly said during the conflict that a deal with Tehran was close, and has also threatened heavy strikes on Iran if it did not reach an accord.
Trump is under intense political pressure at home to reach an accord that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global supplies of oil and other commodities. Gasoline prices remain high and Trump’s approval rating has plummeted with congressional elections looming in November.
The conflict has caused the worst-ever disruption to global energy supplies, blocking hundreds of tankers from leaving the Gulf while damaging energy and shipping facilities across the region.
What impact do you think a potential deal to end hostilities could have on global oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz?