Oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have recovered to an average of about 5 million barrels a day over the past four weeks, six months after Iran blockaded the waterway. Another 2.5 million barrels a day moved from ports outside the strait, including Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, allowing exporters to bypass the closure. Together, the routes represent about 40% of prewar oil export volumes. The Wall Street Journal reported on September 4 that the blockade’s effects are weakening as the global economy adapts, although oil prices remain high. The strait normally carries about 20% of the world’s oil supply. Iran had hoped the closure would pressure oil prices and the global economy, forcing the U.S. to end the war on terms favorable to Tehran. The blockade did not trigger a global economic crisis or compel President Donald Trump to accept Iran’s preferred terms. TankerTrackers.com founder Samir Madani said Iran’s closure has not fully sealed the route. Meanwhile, U.S. airstrikes, a maritime blockade and economic sanctions failed to force Iran’s capitulation, spark a popular uprising or reopen the strait. The U.S. Navy blockade effectively halted Iran’s seaborne oil exports in July and lasted about two months from April 13, with a roughly one-month suspension under a June 18 memorandum of understanding before being reinstated. As economic pressure intensifies, the Wall Street Journal said Tehran could increase military pressure rather than concede. Vali Nasr of Johns Hopkins University said Iran may calculate that escalation would improve its negotiating position and limit the concessions it must make.