Rich Starry, a ship sailing under the Chinese flag and under U.S. sanctions, has passed through the Strait of Hormuz and is now near the Gulf of Oman. It is still unclear whether this ship will be stopped by the U.S. blockade, further complicating the situation for commercial vessels that remain stuck in the Gulf. They now need permission from both Iran and the United States to pass through. Al Jazeera reports that last night another Chinese ship, Elpis, which was transporting Iranian oil, was stopped in the Gulf of Oman for about six hours. It is still unclear whether this was on American orders. In these situations, there is a real risk of escalation because if Iranian ships are stopped and if Iranian oil is halted, Iran could retaliate and stop other ships coming from the Gulf and entering the Strait of Hormuz. The Gulf countries have already spoken out on multiple occasions, stating that the Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway and that they want the free flow of energy. There is a risk that if escalation occurs, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait could also be closed, meaning that 12 percent of the world's commercial shipping would be threatened, or more than a third of global trade could be blocked.