Around 60 commercial vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, with about 40 coordinating with the US military for protection, a US official told Reuters. They carried the highest daily volume of crude oil through the strait since early July.

Separately, TankerTrackers estimated Wednesday that crude transits through Hormuz were running at 10.35 million BPD. The tracking firm attributed rising flows partly to Saudi Arabia shifting exports eastward because of a pipeline disruption, and partly to daytime transits under additional US Central Command protection. It said traffic remained below prewar levels.

The shipping figures followed indirect US-Iran talks at the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday. Iran conveyed conditions through a Qatari mediator, including an end to the war, the naval blockade and economic warfare, and the release of Iranian assets, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said. US envoy Steve Witkoff said mediators shuttled between the delegations and would continue their work.