Iran shuts Hormuz strait: But wasn’t it already closed?
Key takeaways
- The strait is one of the world’s most important maritime routes, through which 20 percent of global oil and natural gas is shipped in peacetime.
- Following the first US-Israel strikes on Tehran on February 28, Iran closed the passage to shipping traffic.
- Since then, Iran has, at times, allowed some ships to pass – in some cases, reportedly charging tolls as high as $2m per ship to pass.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
The strait is one of the world’s most important maritime routes, through which 20 percent of global oil and natural gas is shipped in peacetime.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Boeing AH-64 Apaches fly above the Strait of Hormuz during a patrol [File: US Central Command/AFP]By Priyanka Shankar Published On 11 Jun 202611 Jun 2026Iran has announced that the Strait of Hormuz has been completely closed to all oil tankers and commercial ships in response to recent US strikes on the country, and stated any vessel attempting to pass would be shot at.
The strait is one of the world’s most important maritime routes, as it is the only route to the open sea for oil producers in the Gulf. In peacetime, 20 percent of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) is shipped through it.