Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz improved to 17% of its pre-war average in the past seven days, up from 4% the week before, but remained far below normal after only nine ships transited on Thursday and five on Wednesday, versus more than 130 a day before the U.S.-Israel war on Iran began in February. UKMTO, the UK Royal Navy-linked maritime security monitor, said 151 ships entered or exited the strait over seven days and has logged 56 reports of vessel damage in the strait and nearby waters since Feb. 28, while the UAE blamed Iran for attacks on two ADNOC vessels on Thursday and an ADNOC-affiliated vessel on Friday; a bulk carrier was also struck by an unknown projectile. The disruption has kept expectations for a return to normal traffic low even as U.S. officials say about 15 million barrels a day of oil still move through and around the Gulf, below roughly 20 million before the war, helped by pipelines, naval protection, dark tanker transits and ship-to-ship transfers. Diplomacy has shown little progress: Iranian officials said talks linked to a June ceasefire framework have not advanced and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran has not decided whether to resume negotiations with Washington, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said unmatched new sanctions are due next week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Navy can sustain its blockade, and President Donald Trump said he would "never apologize" for military action against Iran.