The sharp drop in Strait of Hormuz transits, to just four vessels on Sunday from eight the day before, is a tangible sign that the conflict is already disrupting flows through a chokepoint that normally handles about a fifth of global oil trade. With no visible LNG tankers passing since Thursday and only a handful of oil products tankers and a single VLCC entering to load since Friday, the physical market is showing early signs of the risk that has been supporting prices. A ninth consecutive night of US strikes on Iran, alongside reports of new missile launches from Kuwait toward Iranian targets and explosions near an Iranian air defence site, all point to a conflict still on an escalatory footing rather than nearing resolution. For oil and gas markets, thinning Hormuz traffic alongside mutual naval blockade and shipping enforcement claims from both the US and Iran raises the stakes for freight rates, insurance costs and physical availability, keeping the risk premium firmly intact.---Earlier:US official warns Trump is planning for a wider war with Iran as military build up acceleratesIran fires new missile wave at Gulf as oil and dollar both jump - escalation fueling gainsHormuz traffic is thinning out fast as the US and Iran keep trading strikes.Summary:The number of ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz stayed low over the weekend, with just four vessels crossing on Sunday, down from eight the previous day, according to LSEG shipping dataAt least three oil products tankers and one Very Large Crude Carrier have entered the strait to load oil since Friday, per LSEG data, while no visible LNG tankers have passed through since ThursdayCENTCOM said it began a new wave of strikes against Iran at 7pm ET, marking the ninth consecutive night of US attacks aimed at degrading Iranian capabilities used against commercial vessels and civilian mariners in the Strait of HormuzThree missile launches were reported from Kuwait toward IranLocal residents reported intense explosions in Sarbandar and Mahshahr, Iran, including two or three blasts near an air defence site that sent smoke rising into the airThe US said Sunday it had completed an eighth straight night of attacks against Iran, while allies Kuwait and Bahrain reported further Iranian attacks, with both sides now targeting shipping traffic in and around the Strait of HormuzShipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz stayed thin over the weekend as the United States and Iran intensified their attacks across the Middle East, with LSEG data showing just four vessels made the crossing on Sunday, down from eight the day before. At least three oil products tankers and one Very Large Crude Carrier have entered the strait since Friday to load oil, the data showed, while no liquefied natural gas tankers have been visibly transiting since Thursday. LSEG's figures cover container ships, bulkers, vehicle carriers and tankers carrying oil, gas and chemicals.The slowdown comes as military activity around the strait and across the wider region continues to intensify. CENTCOM said it began a new wave of strikes against Iran at 7pm ET, the ninth consecutive night of US attacks, aimed at further degrading Iranian military capabilities used to target commercial vessels and civilian mariners transiting the strait. Three missile launches were also reported from Kuwait toward Iran, while local residents in Sarbandar and Mahshahr reported intense explosions, with one witness describing two or three blasts landing close to an air defence site and smoke rising from the area.The latest strikes follow an eighth consecutive night of US attacks on Sunday, which the US said it had completed, while allies Kuwait and Bahrain reported further Iranian attacks of their own. Both sides have increasingly turned their attention to shipping in recent days, with the US saying it is enforcing a naval blockade on Iranian ports and Iran saying it is targeting vessels it deems to be violating its rules for navigating the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that typically handles about one fifth of global oil trade.The combination of thinning vessel traffic, an active naval blockade and counter-blockade dynamic, and near-nightly strikes suggests shipowners and charterers are increasingly wary of transiting the strait, with the current pattern of low crossings likely to persist as long as the exchange of strikes between the US and Iran continues. This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.