Strait of Hormuz and Maritime Chokepoints
The Strait of Hormuz is a 33-km-wide (at its narrowest) waterway between Iran (to the north) and Oman/UAE (to the south), connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the broader Arabian Sea. It is the world's most critical oil chokepoint: approximately 20 million barrels per day (b/d) of crude and petroleum products — roughly 20% of global petroleum consumption and 25–27% of all seaborne oil trade — transited it in 2024. Around one-fifth of global LNG trade (primarily Qatari) also passes through it. There is no meaningful pipeline alternative for the volumes involved: the Saudi East-West Pipeline (Petroline) can carry ~4.8 mb/d, covering only a fraction of Hormuz throughput.
- Narrowest width: ~33 km; navigable shipping lanes ~3 km wide in each direction.
- Oil throughput (2024): ~20 million barrels/day = ~20% of global petroleum consumption.
- LNG: ~20% of global LNG trade passes through (primarily Qatar's exports).
- Pipelines as alternatives: Saudi Petroline (~4.8 mb/d), Abu Dhabi ADNOC pipeline (~1.5 mb/d) — combined far below Hormuz volume.
- 2026 crisis: tanker traffic fell ~70%; 150+ ships anchored outside strait.
● Tracked since March 02, 2026 · last seen August 31, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes