Qatar warns of ‘industrial catastrophe’ over crisis in the Strait of Hormuz
According to Al Jazeera English, Qatar said that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is a priority and warned of an “industrial catastrophe” if the crisis continues. Data from Kpler indicate that traffic through the strait fell by 28% last week, to 77 vessels.
Blockade threats
Senior Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei said that Tehran is preparing to impose a restricted zone in the Persian Gulf. According to him, Iran is threatening the United States with a full blockade in and around the Strait of Hormuz in response to economic sanctions.
US Central Command said that since mid-July, when the United States resumed the blockade of Iranian ports, its forces have redirected 94 commercial vessels, neutralized three vessels, and boarded two. An additional Al Jazeera report, citing Kpler data, stated that an average of 10 vessels per day passed through the Strait of Hormuz over the past 10 days — the lowest figure since May.
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IAEA calls
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi called on Iran to resume engagement with the agency. His statement came amid efforts by the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany to secure a resolution that could refer Iran to the UN Security Council over “failure to meet nuclear reporting obligations”.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said that Tehran would respond if the IAEA adopts a resolution against the country. US President Donald Trump, for his part, said that energy prices would fall sharply after the conflict with Iran ends.
