Thousands of seafarers stranded as Strait of Hormuz traffic halts

Around 20,000 seafarers on hundreds of vessels, including oil and gas tankers and cargo ships, have been stuck in the Gulf, unable to cross the Strait of Hormuz.

Normally about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas transits the waterway.

 Roughly 80 vessels passed through the strait in the week of April 13-19, according to the maritime data firm Lloyd's List Intelligence, compared to approximately 130 or more transits per day before the war. 

Dozens of ships have come under attack since the war started, and the UN says at least 10 seafarers were killed.

 Even as US President Donald Trump last week extended the ceasefire indefinitely, the US kept the blockade of Iranian ports.

In response, Iran fired on ships in the strait and seized two.

Military spending in the Middle East plateaued in 2025, even as it climbed in other parts of the world, according to a report released Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

 The think tank, which goes by the acronym SPRI, said regionwide spending increased 0.1 per cent but actually fell in both Israel and Iran.