Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen to about 20 percent of its average level in the seven days before the war, according to a report by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations. The report, published on August 22, 2026, cited Iranian military activity and continuing maritime security risks as factors behind the sharp decline.

UKMTO research said the number of ships passing through the strait each day remains in single digits. Over the past week, 103 vessels entered the strategically important waterway and 89 left it, for a total of 192 movements. Tankers accounted for 45 percent of all ship traffic in the strait.

The agency said harassment of vessels by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has continued, including drone overflights, VHF radio messages to ships and concerns about navigation through areas at risk from active mines. The route south of the strait through Omani waters remains the highest-risk corridor. Sixteen of 18 recorded missile or other projectile incidents since July 6 occurred along the southern Omani route, UKMTO said.