2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis

The Strait of Hormuz, a major maritime choke point for global energy trade, has experienced ongoing geopolitical and economic disruption since 28 February 2026, following joint military strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran, which included the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei. In response, Iran launched retaliatory missile and drone attacks on US military bases, Israeli territory, and other Gulf states, while its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued warnings prohibiting vessel passage through the strait, leading to an effective halt in shipping traffic.

As of 12 March 2026, Iran has made 21 confirmed attacks on merchant ships. The warnings and subsequent attacks on vessels caused a sharp decline in maritime transit, with tanker traffic dropping first by approximately 70% and over 150 ships anchoring outside the strait to avoid risks. Soon afterwards traffic dropped to about zero. This disruption affected about 20% of the world's daily oil supply and significant volumes of liquefied natural gas (LNG), prompting major shipping firms to suspend operations in the area. Oil and gas prices surged amid fears of prolonged supply shortages; Brent crude oil prices surpassed $100 per barrel on 8 March 2026 for the first time in four years, rising up to US$126 per barrel at its peak. The closure of the strait has been described as the largest disruption to the energy supply since the 1970s energy crisis and the largest in the history of the global oil market.