The number of vessels tracked in the Strait of Hormuz fell to eight on Tuesday, the lowest daily count since August 5 and below a 10-day average of about 12, as shipowners continued to avoid the waterway during ongoing Middle East hostilities. Kpler data showed only one ship, a coal carrier, had exited the strait while the other vessels were still transiting, and all seven entering used the Iranian route. Separate LSEG data put Tuesday transits at 11, down from 14 a day earlier. The decline comes as the United States and Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis reported separate attacks and prospects for an end to the Iran war appeared to fade. Tehran said the strait would stay closed unless Washington accepted its conditions. Before Iran closed the waterway after U.S.-Israeli attacks began on February 28, roughly 130 to 140 ships typically passed through the chokepoint each day. By contrast, traffic at Bab al-Mandab Strait (southern Red Sea shipping passage) rose to 30 vessels on Tuesday, above a 10-day average of 25.