Gregory Brow, Iran analyst at Eurasia Group Institute: Iran damages a significant number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz/Tehran and Washington have reasons for refusing to give concessions, so reaching an agreement seems very unlikely; However, if either side changes its position, this situation can change quickly

The energy and Iran analyst at the Eurasia Group Institute said: Both the United States - which monitors the flow of shipments - and Iran - which follows price developments - have reasons to insist on their positions and refrain from giving concessions. As a result, reaching an agreement seems highly unlikely; However, if either side changes its position, this situation can change quickly.

An energy analyst says that if Iran and the US change their positions, the situation for an agreement could change quickly.

According to the report, Gregory Barrow, an energy and Iran analyst at the Eurasia Group Institute, wrote: A few field facts: Iran fires at ships passing through the strait and damages a significant number of them. It is difficult to determine the exact number of these attacks; Because the UK Maritime Trade Operations Organization (UKMTO) has admitted that many attacks go unreported and cannot be verified.

He added: A handful of these ships have been stopped or disabled due to Iranian fire; Two ships have sunk and the others continue to pass through the strait.

He claimed: the ship escort system with the support of the United States has succeeded in significantly increasing traffic through the strait. The volume of cargo transfer flow from the whole region has reached the levels close to before the war, but this trend fluctuates in weekly intervals. Despite the improvement in the flow of shipments, the prices of near-term oil contracts and cash prices for immediate delivery have not decreased. This situation has three reasons: 1) the continuation of high demand; 2) very high costs of sea transportation following the attacks; and 3) the lack of assurance of supply reliability, which encourages buyers to pay a higher price for immediate oil purchase and delivery.

While there is increasing evidence that tensions are likely to escalate, diplomacy continues and both sides are communicating through mediators, Gregory Burrow said.