Industry insiders and vessel-tracking data point to continued caution among operators despite geopolitical breakthrough
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenMia NurmamatPublished: 7:00am, 18 Jun 2026As US President Donald Trump moves to reopen the Strait of Hormuz through a peace deal with Iran, major shipping companies such as Maersk are likely to stop short of resuming normal operations in the near term amid lingering concerns about the waterway’s security and the durability of the agreement, according to observers.Some industry insiders said the deal’s impact on the global shipping industry would hinge on whether the United States extended sanctions relief beyond the initial agreement, as well as on sustained efforts to clear mines from the strategic waterway.
The strait serves as a critical artery of global trade and, before the conflict, carried about one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil and liquefied natural gas, as well as critical agricultural inputs such as urea.
Although the agreement promises to restore commercial shipping and ease some restrictions on Iran, analysts said the industry was likely to adopt a wait-and-see approach.
