How many ships are crossing the Strait of Hormuz?

Four vessels have crossed the Strait of Hormuz ahead of a US military blockade of Iranian ports set to begin on Monday, in a move that is being closely watched by global shipping and oil markets, with the ships navigating the narrow waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, near the Iranian coast, on Sunday.

The key facts of the situation are that the US has announced a blockade of Iranian ports, which is set to come into effect on Monday, and four ships have already crossed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane that is used by a significant proportion of the world's oil tankers, with the blockade likely to have significant implications for global oil supplies and prices, as well as for the ships that use the strait, which include vessels from a range of countries, including the US, China, and European nations.

The wider context of the situation is that the US and Iran have been engaged in a long-standing dispute over a range of issues, including Iran's nuclear programme and its support for militant groups in the region, with the US having imposed a range of sanctions on Iran in recent years, and the blockade of Iranian ports is the latest escalation of this dispute, which is having significant implications for the region and for global oil markets, with the Strait of Hormuz being a critical chokepoint for oil supplies, and any disruption to shipping in the area likely to have significant consequences for the global economy.

The reaction to the blockade has been swift, with the Iranian government condemning the move as an act of aggression, and the US government stating that the blockade is necessary to prevent Iran from exporting oil and to enforce the sanctions that have been imposed on the country, with the next steps in the situation likely to be closely watched by governments and markets around the world, as the blockade has the potential to escalate into a wider conflict, and to have significant implications for global oil supplies and prices, and the US and Iranian governments are likely to come under pressure to find a resolution to the dispute, with the international community calling for calm and restraint in the region.