Strait of Hormuz now totally blocked — with US stopping 14 Iran-tied tankers and hundreds of others too scared to cross
Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz have escalated into a standoff that has nearly frozen one of the world’s most important shipping routes.
On one side, Iran has issued repeated warnings that any vessel passing through the strait without its approval could be targeted, with demands that ships obtain permission and pay fees that can reach as high as $2 million. Iranian fast-attack craft operating in the waterway add to the risk for any unauthorized passage.
On the other side, the United States has imposed a blockade aimed at stopping ships connected to Iran’s so-called shadow fleet. That move has effectively shut down what little traffic had still been moving through the passage.
The Strait of Hormuz normally carries around 20 percent of global oil supplies, but maritime tracking data now shows activity has dropped to almost nothing. Prior to the conflict, more than 130 ships passed through the strait every day. Since the fighting intensified, that number has fallen to only a handful.
In the four days following the start of the blockade, only four vessels are believed to have successfully entered the Persian Gulf. All of them were inbound rather than leaving with Iranian exports. One of the few outbound attempts involved the Comoros-flagged tanker Race, which was heading toward India, though it remains unclear whether it will complete its journey or be intercepted in the Gulf of Oman.
US Central Command says 14 vessels tied to Iranian exports were turned back within the first 72 hours of the blockade. Meanwhile, only a single ship was reported attempting to exit on Thursday, highlighting how sharply outbound traffic has collapsed.
At the same time, ships are still managing limited entry into the Gulf. These include the Iranian-flagged cargo vessel Neshat, which arrived in Bandar Abbas after sailing from West Africa, as well as the sanctioned container ship Zaynar 2, which reached the same port on Wednesday. An empty tanker, RHN, sailing under a Curaçao flag, also made the passage. Another sanctioned vessel, the oil tanker Alicia, crossed on Tuesday and was reportedly bound for Iraq, which would place it outside the scope of the US enforcement targeting Iranian ports.
Despite the presence of more than a dozen US warships in the region and efforts to clear mines reportedly placed near the strait, shipping companies have shown little willingness to risk the passage.
As a result, about 800 vessels are now stuck in the Persian Gulf, including more than 300 oil and gas tankers, leaving roughly 20,000 seafarers waiting. Before the conflict, normal flow through the strait kept the system moving steadily, but that has now stalled almost completely.
The economic stakes are significant. Iran had been exporting roughly 2 million barrels of oil per day during the conflict period, but analysts warn that a complete shutdown of exports could only be sustained for two to eight weeks before production would need to be scaled back, risking long-term damage to oil infrastructure.
The United States has said it intends to maximize economic pressure on Iran in an effort to force concessions, including support for a peace deal put forward by President Trump that would require Tehran to abandon any pursuit of nuclear weapons.
At the same time, the disruption is already feeding into broader global supply concerns. With around 12 million barrels per day of oil supply already affected by the wider conflict, a full halt in Iranian exports would likely push energy markets into further instability and drive prices higher worldwide.
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