How will a US and Iran deal affect global shipping?

A fragile peace deal between the US and Iran has sparked global market rallies and cautious optimism, but shipping industry leaders remain deeply skeptical about the reality on the ground. Despite President Trump's claims of ships already sailing through the Strait of Hormuz, evidence shows only minimal transit—just one LNG tanker and a few cargo vessels—raising doubts about the deal's actual implementation. Industry experts emphasize that without verified mine clearance, clear safety directives, and coordinated oversight from Iran, Oman, and the International Maritime Organization, full reopening will take weeks or months. Arsenio Dominguez of the IMO stresses that normal traffic—around 130 vessels daily—won't return overnight, with over 500 ships still stranded in the Persian Gulf. Even if the strait opens, insurance costs will remain high, and the economic damage from prolonged disruption will linger, particularly in inflation and supply chain bottlenecks. Meanwhile, the UK's upcoming ban on social media for under-16s has ignited a broader debate about digital well-being, with experts like Jessica Petroski arguing that the real solution lies not in banning access, but in reforming the addictive business models of platforms like TikTok and Instagram. The tech industry’s self-policing efforts are dismissed as window dressing, and the era of voluntary regulation may be ending as global governments move toward stricter accountability.