Strait of Hormuz sees record traffic since start of conflict: media

PARIS -- At least 36 commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, setting a record since the outbreak of the conflict in Iran, French daily Le Monde reported on Tuesday.

The figure represents nearly one-third of the strait's normal peacetime traffic, which averages around 120 vessel crossings per day, said the report, citing data from maritime analytics company Kpler.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important energy shipping routes. Before the conflict, more than one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas moved through the waterway, which is also important for grain and consumer goods shipments into the Gulf.

US and Iranian negotiators, under Qatari and Pakistani mediation, began their talks on Sunday at the Buergenstock mountain resort in central Switzerland, marking the first direct talks between the two sides since the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) last week.

According to the MoU, the United States and Iran declare an immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and commit to negotiating and achieving the final peace agreement in maximum 60 days.