Commodity vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz fell to a single digit per day at the weekend, preliminary shiptracking ​data showed on Monday, well below a 10-day average of ‌14, Reuters reported.

Over the weekend, four vessels exited the Gulf through the strait, including a Handysize vessel sailing in ballast, a Handy vessel carrying LPG, a Supramax carrying ​fertilizer and a Suezmax laden with crude or condensate.

Ten vessels entered ​the Gulf, including a mini-bulker carrying minor bulk commodities, ⁠a Handymax carrying grain, a Panamax carrying metals and a Supramax carrying ​dry bulk cargo, the data showed.

The figures exclude any vessels that might ​have crossed the strait with their Automatic Identification System transponders turned off to avoid detection.

A vessel was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of ​Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said early on Sunday.

It ​said the crew’s status, damage assessment and environmental impact were unknown.

Meanwhile, the vital East-West ‌oil ⁠pipeline in Saudi Arabia, which has helped relieve the logjam in the Strait of Hormuz, was temporarily shut down by a drone attack coming from Iraq, Saudi officials said.

Before the Iran war started on February 28, the ​strait typically handled ​about 125 large, ⁠commercial vessels per day, including tankers, gas carriers, bulkers and container vessels, accounting for some 20% of ​the world’s daily crude oil and liquefied natural gas ​supply, read the report.

A U.S. ⁠blockade of Iran-related shipping has halted Iranian crude oil exports since it was reimposed in mid-July.

In the Bab el-Mandeb strait, 24 and 27 commodity ⁠vessels travelled ​through respectively on Saturday and Sunday, tracking ​data showed, compared with an average of around 27 ships over the last 10 days.

Iran and the United Arab Emirates signed up to a joint statement from the BRICS group of ​nations that called for restraint in the Middle East war on Saturday, in what was seen as a sign of diplomatic progress between the countries divided by ‌the war, Reuters reported.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also met the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi on the sidelines of the first day of the New Delhi summit, in the countries’ highest-level meeting since the start of the conflict.

The two leaders discussed regional and international issues, de-escalation, stability, and efforts to advance regional peace and development, the Abu Dhabi media office said on X, without referring to any resolution to the discussions.

The BRICS summit is a ​test of the diplomatic clout of a bloc set up in 2009 to challenge a world order dominated by the United States and its Western allies. It originally comprised Brazil, ​Russia, India, China and South Africa and expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia and Indonesia as well as Iran and the UAE.

Summit organisers and diplomats ⁠have been focused on bridging the Iran-UAE divide, even as the United States and Iran resume tit-for-tat strikes in the six-month-old war.

Iran has launched repeated attacks on the UAE during the ​conflict, most recently in late August when it targeted the Al Minhad Air Base that housed U.S. forces and helicopters.

“We express deep concern over the continued escalation of tensions in Middle East/West ​Asia … call for exercising maximum restraint, as well as avoiding actions that could further aggravate the situation,” the joint BRICS declaration read.

It called for the protection of civilians, urged respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, and stressed the need to protect global trade, supply chains, energy flows and maritime security.

Foreign policy experts had said the key test for the bloc would be finding language ​on the Middle East crisis that both Abu Dhabi and Tehran could accept, clearing the way for the joint declaration.

Such a joint statement was unlikely to influence the current geopolitical ​landscape, but would demonstrate unity by a grouping of emerging nations, they said.

The Iranian embassy in India posted a photo of the meeting between its president and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed ‌bin Zayed ⁠Al Nahyan, the eldest son of the president of the country and the next in line to succeed him, read the report.

But it did not say anything about what they discussed.

“The key to ending the war lies with the U.S. and Israel,” Sunjay Sudhir, a former Indian ambassador to the UAE, told Reuters.

“What India has done is keep the difficult conversations going, by showing that countries of the region can sit at the same table, engage diplomatically, and build on where their interests converge.”

Host India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said ​that the bloc had come of age and ​it was time to translate its unity ⁠and consensus into concrete results on the global stage, as he opened the meeting.

The BRICS bloc is seeking to raise its profile by influencing international rules and demanding the reform of institutions such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organization, which some members ​view as being dominated by Western powers.

Leaders attending the summit include Russia’s Vladimir Putin, China’s Xi Jinping and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa.

Chinese ​President Xi said BRICS ⁠countries should firmly stand on the right side of history by steering the international order toward greater equity and justice.

Xi also said China was ready to play its “due role” in achieving peace and stability in the Middle East.

“Relevant parties must remain committed to a political settlement and work towards achieving a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire,” he said, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

New Delhi, which has strong ⁠ties with the ​United States, Russia, Israel, Iran and the Gulf Arab states, is engaged in a diplomatic balancing act, with ​Modi pushing BRICS members to boost trade cooperation, reduce barriers and expand business opportunities.

Saudi Arabia has shut down its East-West pipeline after ​the vital oil conduit came under aerial attack in the widening Middle East war.

The world’s largest crude oil exporter temporarily closed the pipeline after a drone attack that both Baghdad and ‌Riyadh said had originated in Iraq, where Iranian-backed militias operate. Iraq dismissed a military commander on Saturday in response to the attack, Reuters reported.

The 1,200-kilometre (745-mile) pipeline running across the Arabian Peninsula had helped Saudi Arabia to bypass a shipping logjam in the Strait of Hormuz, where tanker traffic has slowed to a trickle due to the war between the U.S. and Iran.

The Saudi energy ministry said it had shut the pipeline as a precaution. The line has been moving 4 million to 5 million barrels per day in ​recent months, amounting to 4% to 5% of global supply, according to ship tracking companies and analysts.

The attack comes as Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen tightened their grip in the Red Sea, ​which combined with the Strait of Hormuz disruptions has put an energy squeeze on both sides of the Arabian Peninsula and sent global oil prices back above $100 ⁠per barrel.

Four Yemeni government sources told Reuters that Houthis had seized the strategic island of Perim on Friday at the mouth of the Red Sea, in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The dual attacks reported on Friday – on ​the pipeline and Perim island – could represent a dangerous escalation while diplomatic efforts to end the war have stalled.

Saudi Arabia has asked Washington for military help with the Houthis, sources said, at a time when higher fuel prices ​during the war have already exacted a political toll on U.S. President Donald Trump and his Republican Party ahead of November congressional elections.

The East-West pipeline was hit on Thursday morning in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh and Medina regions, the Saudi energy ministry said.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the strikes. Satellite images showed black smoke rising from an area of the pipeline south of Medina. The attack resulted in some injuries and damage that was being assessed, the Saudi foreign ministry said ​without detailing the impact on exports.

The cashiered Iraqi military commander had led operations in Maysan province, according to Saturday’s statement by the Iraqi prime minister’s office. Maysan province, which borders Iran in southeastern Iraq, has long ​been regarded as an area where Iran-backed Shi’ite militias operate and maintain influence.

Saudi Arabia has opted against retaliation so far following a request from the Iraqi prime minister, the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement, while adding the kingdom ‌reserves the ⁠right to “take all measures necessary” to protect its interests. Iraq’s government condemned attacks.

Saudi crude supply fell to the lowest levels in more than three decades, the International Energy Agency said on Friday, partly due to attacks on ships transiting Bab el-Mandeb by Houthi-linked groups.

Iraq responded by ordering the closure of the Shalamcheh border crossing between Iraq and Iran as a precautionary measure, two security sources told Reuters. The crossing serves as one of the main routes for imports to Iraq of vegetables and other food supplies from Iran.

The two sources said a widescale operation was under way to find those responsible for the pipeline attack.

COUNTERATTACK PLANNED

If the Houthis gain control of the Bab ​el-Mandeb Strait, their backer Iran could gain a critical ​advantage in its war with the U.S.

Yemeni government ⁠forces indicated they would try to retake areas captured by the Houthis — mountain fighters who withstood years of devastating Saudi airstrikes during Yemen’s civil war — in their lightning offensive this week along the Red Sea coastline.

Reuters reported on Thursday that the dramatic Houthi advance down Yemen’s Red Sea coast came with direct guidance from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

Iran ​told the Houthis last week to escalate their attacks on Saudi Arabia and promised more funding, weapons and senior officers to help them do so, ​two Iranian sources said.

Iran describes the ⁠Houthis as an ally but publicly denies giving them military direction, saying they are “not a proxy”.

The Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said maritime navigation remained safe for all shipping except Saudi vessels subject to a previously announced ban.

SAUDIS SEEK HELP

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Trump at least twice on Thursday to request U.S. military help in fighting the Houthis, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday, confirming an earlier report by Axios.

Washington told ⁠Riyadh it was ​not willing to take direct military action for now but would help with intelligence sharing and targeting, the two sources said.

The White ​House did not address a Reuters question on any phone calls between the two leaders, but a senior administration official speaking on the condition of anonymity said Washington was in continuous dialogue with Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government.