Strait of Hormuz Crisis: US-Iran War Disrupts Global Oil Flows
The US-Israel conflict with Iran, which began on 28 February 2026 (Operation Epic Fury), has resulted in the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, blocking approximately 20% of global oil supplies and triggering a global energy crisis.
The United States threatened to escalate military operations with "higher level" bombing if Iran did not agree to reopen the strait and accept a peace framework.
Approximately 23,000 sailors aboard vessels representing 87 countries have been stranded in the Persian Gulf due to Iran's de facto closure of the waterway.
US-Iran negotiations are advancing toward a short memorandum of understanding to end the conflict, with both sides moving closer to a preliminary agreement.
Oil prices and global freight costs have surged sharply since the strait's closure, with vessel traffic dropping to roughly 5% of pre-conflict levels.
Strait of Hormuz: Strategic Chokepoint
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow maritime chokepoint between Iran to the north and the Sultanate of Oman and the UAE to the south. It is approximately 90 nautical miles long and only 21 nautical miles wide at its narrowest point. Through this strait passes approximately 20% of global petroleum and 20% of global liquefied natural gas (LNG) annually, making it the world's most strategically critical maritime passage.
Iran's closure of the strait has directly disrupted the single most important energy corridor for global and Indian crude oil supply, demonstrating the acute geopolitical vulnerability embedded in chokepoint dependence.
Freedom of Navigation and UNCLOS
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), adopted in 1982 and in force since 1994, codifies the doctrine of "transit passage" through international straits — the right of all ships and aircraft to pass freely and continuously through straits used for international navigation. Customary international law treats transit passage as non-suspendable even during armed conflict.
Iran's imposition of permit requirements for Hormuz transit directly contradicts the customary international law principle of transit passage, and has been condemned in UN Security Council resolutions.
Operation Epic Fury and the 2026 Iran War
Operation Epic Fury refers to the US military operation launched jointly with Israel on 28 February 2026, targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, missile stockpiles, air defence systems, and military leadership. The operation killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and dozens of senior officials. Iran retaliated by declaring the Strait of Hormuz closed and launching missile and drone strikes against US embassies and oil infrastructure across the region.
Key Details
- US objective: destroy Iranian offensive missile capability and ensure Iran "will never have nuclear weapons"
- Approximately 900 strikes were launched in the first 12 hours of the operation
- Iran's closure of the strait followed its March 4, 2026 declaration
- The conflict constitutes the most significant armed confrontation between a major power and a regional state since the 2003 Iraq War
The ongoing Hormuz blockade is a direct consequence of Operation Epic Fury's broader conflict; Trump's threat of renewed "higher level" bombing reflects the leverage dynamic underlying the US-Iran ceasefire negotiations.
- ~20% of global oil and 20% of global LNG transit the Strait of Hormuz annually
- Vessel traffic dropped to ~5% of pre-conflict levels following the closure
- ~23,000 sailors from 87 countries stranded in the Persian Gulf
- India imported ~45% of its crude through Hormuz before the crisis; now ~30% due to rapid diversification
- UN Security Council Resolution 2817 (11 March 2026) condemned Iran's actions as a breach of international law
- Operation Epic Fury launched: 28 February 2026; Hormuz declared closed: 4 March 2026
- Global oil prices surged significantly following strait closure, triggering inflationary pressures worldwide