India, April 20 -- The status of the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most critical oil transit route, remains deeply uncertain, with shifting signals from Iran and the United States leaving global shipping effectively paralysed. Despite brief claims over the weekend that the waterway had reopened, fresh military threats, a continuing US naval blockade, and direct attacks on vessels have once again brought traffic to a halt.

The confusion began on Saturday, April 18, after Iran's foreign minister announced that the strait was "completely open," triggering a rush of ships attempting to exit the Persian Gulf. For a few hours, some vessels did make it through - more than 20 crossings were recorded on Saturday, the highest since early March.

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