Trapped for weeks inside a war zone, the Alliance Fairfax slipped out of the Persian Gulf under U.S. military escort, breaking a paralysis that has choked one of energy’s most vital gates. Maersk accepted military protection to extract the car carrier while Iran retains missiles and speedboats capable of punishing any unauthorized movement through waters that normally host hundreds of daily transits.

Roughly 1,600 vessels and 20,000 seafarers remain immobilized as gunboat duels and drone strikes push global oil prices over 5 percent higher and rattle equity markets. Washington has pledged to force routes open, yet patrols face stealthy threats that complicate any promise of safe passage for tankers laden with crude and cargoes priced into sensitive supply chains.

Operations froze again on Tuesday with zero transits recorded after Monday’s combat, even as lower prices still sit above pre-shock levels. America expanded escort capacity, but asymmetric firepower keeps most crews anchored, leaving refined products and freight rates exposed to sudden spikes while the strait stays half-locked.