Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has plunged, with only a fraction of normal vessel movements visible as the seven-month US-Israel-Iran conflict disrupts Gulf shipping.
BY PC Bureau
September 21: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Monday claimed that missile and drone strikes had put most US military bases surrounding Iran out of action, as Tehran reported another US drone downed over the Strait of Hormuz and commercial shipping through the strategic waterway fell sharply.
The claims came as the seven-month US-Israel-Iran conflict continued to disrupt Gulf shipping and keep global energy markets on edge. Brent crude remained above $100 a barrel, while the number of vessels visibly transiting Hormuz plunged to a fraction of pre-war levels.
IRGC claims US bases disabled
IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohabbi said Iranian missile and drone attacks had struck US military facilities around Iran, with “most” allegedly knocked out of action. He claimed Washington had been forced to move personnel and equipment to more distant locations, including Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.
Iran has repeatedly claimed damage to US and allied military facilities across the Gulf and the wider region. However, the broader assertion that most US bases surrounding Iran are now inoperable has not been independently established.
The US and its partners have acknowledged damage and military losses during the conflict, but their public accounts do not corroborate Tehran’s description of the situation as a strategic or “humiliating” defeat.
Another US drone claimed shot down
The IRGC also said its aerospace force had tracked and destroyed another US military drone over the Strait of Hormuz.
The announcement follows a series of competing claims over unmanned aircraft and maritime operations in and around the strait. Both sides have reported attacks involving drones and other unmanned systems, but a complete independent accounting of the losses remains unavailable.
⚡️🇮🇷 — Mohsen Rezaee Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran:
“And I say now to all Arab countries and all neighboring countries, if the Americans want to disrupt our trade and financial relations, we will do two things.
First, we will We will certainly… pic.twitter.com/kr42pO3BlB
— MaxOsint Intel (@maxosintintel) September 20, 2026
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Hormuz traffic falls sharply
Commercial shipping through Hormuz has fallen dramatically. Reuters reported that only 12 commodity vessels passed through the strait over the latest weekend, compared with about 35 the previous weekend and roughly 125 large commercial vessels a day before the conflict.
The visible traffic figures do not capture all oil movements. Some tankers are reportedly sailing with their transponders switched off, making their movements difficult to track in real time. Reuters also reported that Saudi oil exports through the strait have rebounded, indicating that actual oil flows remain higher than the visible vessel count suggests.
The conflicting indicators underline the uncertainty surrounding the strategic waterway, through which a major share of global oil supplies normally passes.
Oil remains above $100
Oil prices have remained elevated amid the disruption, although markets have also responded to signs that some Gulf supplies are continuing to move.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical chokepoint for global energy trade, while attacks on Saudi infrastructure and restrictions on alternative export routes have added further pressure to shipping and insurance costs.
For now, the conflict presents a mixed picture: Iran claims significant damage to US military infrastructure, Washington continues military operations in the region, shipping through Hormuz has collapsed in visible terms, and oil remains around or above the $100-a-barrel threshold.
Independent satellite imagery, official US assessments and shipping data will be crucial in determining the actual extent of damage to military bases and the scale of oil flows through the strait.
