2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis

Summary

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a major maritime choke point for world energy trade, has been largely blocked by Iran since 28 February 2026, when the United States and Israel launched an air war against Iran and assassinated its supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. In retaliation, Iran launched missile and drone attacks on Israel, US military bases, and US-allied Gulf states. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued warnings forbidding passage through the strait, boarded and attacked merchant ships, and laid sea mines in the strait. Since 13 April, the US has simultaneously blockaded Iranian ports. Until the US–Israeli war against Iran, the Strait of Hormuz was open and about 25% of the world's seaborne oil trade and 20% of the world's liquefied natural gas (LNG) passed through it.