US opening strikes destroy Iran's fleet at Bandar Abbas as Hormuz transits collapse

On the opening day of Operation Epic Fury, US strikes sank or destroyed much of Iran's surface fleet at its moorings in Bandar Abbas and Konarak naval bases, at the northern shore of the Strait of Hormuz. Commercial shipping reacted within days: AIS transit calls through the strait, which had averaged around 70 ships per day in the preceding weeks, fell by more than ninety percent in March as insurers withdrew cover and operators rerouted or held cargoes. According to Janes, the strikes amounted to the effective demise of Iran's conventional navies as a fighting force.