Oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz rose to an average of 10 million barrels a day in September as shippers gained confidence, according to Kpler. Another 6 million barrels a day left Persian Gulf states through pipelines and ports bypassing the strait, bringing regional exports closer to the roughly 19 million barrels a day recorded before the war with Iran began at the end of February. Analysts caution that tanker tracking is imperfect, but most say flows increased significantly. Iran continues attacking tankers, while a U.S. military operation to protect vessels appears to have supported shipments by major exporters including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Global oil supply nevertheless remains below demand.