MOSCOW, April 10. /TASS/. More than 20 merchant vessels have reported physical damage in the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the Middle East conflict, according to TASS calculations based on data from maritime transport monitoring systems.
Specifically, these include 11 tankers, four container ships, three bulk carriers, two barges, as well as a jack-up drilling rig and a tugboat.
According to TASS analysis, from March 1 to the present, the majority of damage reports have been recorded near the Strait of Hormuz, eight of which were in the territorial waters of the United Arab Emirates and six in the waters of Oman.
The most frequent incident reports were recorded on March 1 and 11. On these days, maritime traffic operators received four and five notifications from vessel crews, respectively. On the remaining days, only one incident per day was recorded.
On April 7, US President Donald Trump announced a two-week mutual ceasefire with Iran. According to him, the parties have resolved nearly all contentious issues, and Washington views Tehran’s 10-point proposal as a working basis for further negotiations. These include adherence to the principle of non-aggression, Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz, uranium enrichment within the country, the lifting of primary and secondary sanctions, the payment of compensation, and the withdrawal of US forces from the region. Trump stated that the decision was made based on Iran’s willingness to open the Strait of Hormuz. In turn, Tehran agreed to cease "defensive attacks" provided that no strikes are launched against Iran. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is mediating between the parties, invited them to negotiate on April 10. According to the Iranian state broadcaster, the talks are expected to be face-to-face.