The closing of the Strait of Hormuz
A fifth of the world's oil stops moving through a channel 33 kilometres wide.
- When
- Known to
- ± 12 hours
- Era
- Contemporary, Holocene
- Where
- Strait of Hormuz · 26.5667° N, 56.2500° E
Iran mined and attacked shipping in the strait from 28 February 2026, halting most traffic through the passage that carries roughly a fifth of global oil consumption and a comparable share of liquefied natural gas. Prices spiked, Asian importers were hit hardest, and navies mounted the largest escort operation since the tanker war of the 1980s. It was the first sustained closure in the strait's history.