Dozens of ships head through Strait of Hormuz after US-Iran deal

At least 172 vessels have crossed through the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Iran signed a deal aimed at ending the war, including 42 ships on Saturday alone, according to new data from maritime intelligence firm Kpler.The number of vessels making the transit from 18 June, the day after the deal was signed, is still well below the pre-conflict average of some 138 crossings each day.Ship-tracking data analysed by BBC Verify shows more than 200 tankers appear to be waiting inside the strait on Tuesday, with at least 10 ships moving west into the Gulf so far.The price of a barrel of Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, has dropped to its lowest level since the war began.Many of the tankers that have transited the strait in recent days have been linked with Iran following the lifting of the US naval blockade as part of the deal.At least 30 tankers have departed from the Gulf laden with Iranian oil and petrochemicals since the deal was agreed, according to Jemima Shelley, a senior research analyst at the Iran" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="13774" data-entity-type="organization">United Against Nuclear Iran campaign and monitoring group.The US Treasury has also eased decades-old sanctions by issuing a license to allow the sale of Iranian crude oil, petrochemicals and other oil products until 21 August.