The Strait of Hormuz: a central crossroads for black gold

As tensions rise between Washington and Tehran following US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global energy supplies, is once again becoming a hot spot. If Iran were to block access, as its parliament is now suggesting, the impact on oil markets would be immediate. Geopolitics, economics, military history: this 33-kilometer stretch of water alone contains all the ingredients of a powder keg.

As tensions between the US and Iran have recently escalated following US strikes on several Iranian nuclear sites, the Iranian parliament has expressed its support for closing the Strait of Hormuz. However, according to state television, the final decision rests with Iran's Supreme National Security Council.

Iran has repeatedly threatened to block this crucial shipping lane, but has never actually done so: its closure would have immediate repercussions on global trade and oil prices.

Where is the Strait of Hormuz?

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow maritime corridor between Iran to the north and the Sultanate of Oman to the south. It connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and then to the Arabian Sea. It is approximately 33 kilometers wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is reduced to only 3 kilometers in each direction, making the area particularly sensitive.

Why is this strait so strategic?

Nearly 20% of the world's oil consumed passes through the Strait of Hormuz. According to data from the analysis firm Vortexa, between 17.8 and 20.8 million barrels of crude oil, condensates, and petroleum products passed through the strait daily between early 2022 and May 2025.

Major OPEC exporters such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Iraq rely heavily on this sea route to deliver their oil, particularly to Asia, their main market. Qatar, one of the world's largest exporters of liquefied natural gas (LNG), also ships nearly all of its cargoes there.

Faced with this bottleneck, some countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have attempted to diversify their export routes. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), there is approximately 2.6 million barrels per day of unused capacity in pipelines that bypass Ormuz.

A historical hotspot

The Strait of Hormuz has already been the scene of numerous geopolitical tensions:

• In 1973, Arab oil-producing countries, led by Saudi Arabia, imposed an oil embargo against Western supporters of Israel, causing a major energy crisis.
  
  
• During the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), both sides attacked oil tankers in a phase known as the "Tanker War."
  
  
• In 1988, a US warship shot down an Iranian civilian aircraft, killing 290 people, an incident that Washington described as an accident but which Tehran considers a deliberate act.
  
  
• In 2012, Tehran had already threatened to close the strait in response to Western sanctions.
  
  
• In May 2019, several ships—including two Saudi oil tankers—were attacked off the coast of the United Arab Emirates at the entrance to the strait.
  
  
• Between 2023 and 2024, three ships were seized by Iran in or near the strait, some in retaliation for the capture of oil tankers carrying Iranian oil by the United States.
  
  

A global security issue

The US Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, is responsible for securing shipping in this crucial area. Even a temporary closure of the Strait of Hormuz would cause an immediate spike in energy prices and upset global supply chains.

With US oil production more than doubling in the last 20 years, making the US less dependent on imports, Asia remains the leading market for Gulf exporters. But the centrality of the Strait of Hormuz to global trade continues to make this narrow strip of sea a potentially explosive epicenter.