Six commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, down from nine a day earlier and below the 10-day average of about 12, preliminary shipping data showed on Wednesday. Kpler’s initial data at 0200 GMT recorded five vessels entering and one exiting, including one Panamax and one intermediate tanker. The figures could change because some ships typically switch off their transponders during voyages. The decline came as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran intensified, with Tehran-backed Houthis in Yemen launching strikes on several Saudi Arabian cities. American forces also hit multiple Iranian oil tankers, while Iran struck a U.S. base in Jordan. Separately, 25 commodity vessels crossed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, another major Middle Eastern maritime chokepoint, comprising 11 entering and 14 exiting vessels. That compared with an average of around 27 ships over the previous 10 days. The vessels included two Suezmax tankers, eight Aframax tankers and one Very Large Crude Carrier.