AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Less than 24 hours into the conditional ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, hopes of deescalation are already being tested. One of the key sticking points is the Strait of Hormuz, a critical passage that carries about a fifth of the world's oil. For more than a month, hundreds of ships have been stranded in and around the waterway, disrupting global energy supplies and rattling markets. Despite the announcement of a ceasefire, traffic through this vital waterway remains effectively stalled. NPR international affairs correspondent Jackie Northam joins us now with more. Hi, Jackie.
JACKIE NORTHAM, BYLINE: Hi there.
CHANG: Hi. OK, so since last night's truce, how many ships - do we know? - have we seen travel through the Strait of Hormuz?
NORTHAM: Well, Lloyd's List, which is a shipping industry news provider, says that three ships transited the Strait of Hormuz today. That includes an Iranian vessel and another one from Greece and that another three were queued up to cross. But now it's uncertain whether they will pass because Iran has said it has closed the Strait of Hormuz. But, you know, Ailsa, even if it had kept it open, hundreds of other ships in and around the strait chose to stay put, you know. And it's worth keeping in mind that before the war, anywhere from 120 to 150 ships would sail through the strait every day.
CHANG: Wow. OK, so talk more about why more ships are not moving through, especially given how many people are clamoring right now to get more oil, more liquefied natural gas, more fertilizer moving through the global markets.
NORTHAM: Yeah, that's right. Well, in a word, safety. More than 20 ships have been attacked by Iran during this crisis, and this ceasefire is brand new. It's fragile. And clearly there are misunderstandings between the U.S. and Iran. And that's not lost on ship owners or insurance companies or the seafarers manning these vessels. I spoke with Erik Broekhuizen with Poten & Partners, which is a U.S.-based ship broker and energy consultant. And he says the other concern for the ships is the military command in Iran is quite decentralized. Here he is.
ERIK BROEKHUIZEN: So you don't really know who to talk to, who is in charge, and whether all the sort of regional commanders have gotten the memo that the strait is open and they should stop attacking vessels.
NORTHAM: Now, so Broekhuizen says the other issue is mines. You know, do the Iranians know where they are in the water, and have they been removed?
CHANG: Interesting. OK, well, President Trump has declared that this ceasefire is dependent on the free movement of ships in the Strait of Hormuz. What has Iran said about opening the strait, officially?
NORTHAM: Well, it actually said it's closing the strait because of Israeli attacks against Iranian-aligned Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. But frankly, Iran has indicated all along it wanted to keep, you know, control of the strait, and it's been formulating this toll system for ships to go through. And analysts I spoke with say several oil tankers have paid at least a million dollars to transit the strait. Today, Iran sent out a VHF broadcast to the hundreds of ships in and around the strait warning them they need permission before they try to transit. And here's part of that broadcast.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: If any vessel tries to transit without permission - will be destroyed. Out.
NORTHAM: And, you know, the White House says the president is aware of the reports that Iran has closed the strait. It's denounced them as false, but it said it would be - you know, closing would be completely unacceptable.
CHANG: OK, so where does that leave things for the Strait of Hormuz?
NORTHAM: Well, at the moment, it looks like Iran is in control of the waterway until there can be some clarity, you know, in the ceasefire agreement. You know, all this uncertainty and, you know, having ships remain idled in and around this area is not helping world energy markets a bit.
CHANG: Certainly not. That is NPR's Jackie Northam. Thank you so much, Jackie.
NORTHAM: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
