strikeJun 10, 2026

Arming the Strait of Hormuz

Summary

Arming the Strait of Hormuz The impasse continues, with the Hormuz being closed by Iran, thereby aggravating an already disrupted global energy market and the US maintaining the naval blockade that seeks to choke Iran's economy Share Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, on May 4, 2026 (Photo: Reuters) The Hormuz is one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints, with its narrowest point only about 21 nautical miles wide, and shipping lanes, through which ships transit, are even narrower. Roughly 20-30 per cent of global seaborne oil passes through it, which translates to about 140 ships on a daily basis. Iran and Oman are the two nations that abut the strait, and the geography and topography of the region gives Iran unassailable advantage in controlling the transit through the Hormuz. For India, almost 60 per cent of its total hydrocarbon imports pass through the Hormuz and the international norm of allowing unhindered transit passage through critical chokepoints was accepted as the global practice, in consonance with maritime law, derived from the 1982 UNCLOS (UN law of the seas). Strategic move Iran decided to exercise its most consequential strategic leverage — closure of the Hormuz in early March and this was a major departure from earlier practice. The West Asian region is not new to war and conflict, yet Iran had not historically imposed or achieved a full, sustained physical closure of the Hormuz prior to 2026. Also Read In previous decades, despite frequent threats during the 1980s Tanker War (Iran-Iraq War), the 2011–2012 sanctions crises, the 2018–2019 tensions during Trump 1.0 and the 2025 Israeli attack on Iran, the strait remained open. In some cases, Iran disrupted traffic through gun-boat attacks, mining and harassment of the adversary, but did not prevent all transit. However, in response to the US-Israel military strikes on Iran, which included the assassination of former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran retaliated by disrupting and effectively blocking much of the transit through the Hormuz. Effective disruption began in early March and shipping traffic dropped sharply from 100 to 140 ships per day to near zero. This was largely due to Iranian military attacks, which in 2026 included drones and shore-based missiles, apart from the traditional arsenal of gunboats and mine-laying that Iran had used in the past. An official of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared the strait “closed” on March 2 with a formal announcement on March 4, stating it was closed and threatening to attack ships attempting to pass. Iran targeted vessels linked to adversaries (US and Israel) and imposed restrictions. Ship traffic was largely blocked from this period onward, with selective passages (some Iranian-linked ships or those paying fees), but there was widespread avoidance due to the military risks and the high insurance costs that inhibited normal mercantile commerce. The negative impact on the global energy supply chain and downstream linkages such as fertilisers was considerable. There was some hope that Pakistan-enabled negotiations would lead to an equitable and consensual cessation of hostilities, but this was belied when the talks failed. The Iranian control over the Hormuz and restricting transit passage was no doubt a transgression of international law, but sanctity for law had already been trampled by Israel and the US when the war began by their unilateral acts of aggression and political assassinations. To apply pressure on Iran and compel it to open the strait, the US in turn decided to add another layer of militarisation to the Hormuz and imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports effective since April 13. The US enforced the blockade primarily through naval surface forces from US Central Command (CENTCOM), supported by air and amphibious assets. The operation (which is ongoing at the time of writing) focuses on intercepting, redirecting, or disabling vessels attempting to enter or exit Iranian ports/coastal areas while allowing neutral transit through the Strait of Hormuz. The principal naval platforms include aircraft carriers and carrier strike groups that include guided missile destroyers – which is a formidable naval force. The US deployed three carriers in the region (a high concentration of transborder military capability), providing air superiority, strike capability, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and command and control. The impasse continues in May, with the Hormuz being closed by Iran, thereby aggravating an already disrupted global energy market and the US maintaining the naval blockade that seeks to strangulate the Iranian economy. In summary, the tactical situation in the Hormuz is that of Iran, which has developed an asymmetric “anti-access/area denial” (A2/AD) strategy relying on geography, quantity over quality (swarm technique) and cost-imposing tactics rather than symmetric naval power. On the other side, the US and allies have overwhelming naval superiority and remain focused on freedom of navigation, escort operations and countering Iranian threats, but with doubtful impact, since shipping traffic remains at a trickle. The USS Abraham Lincoln sailed through the Hormuz in April 2026 (Photo: Reuters) Mine tactics Iran’s primary mechanisms are the use of mines and swarm tactics within the Strait of Hormuz. Between the regular navy and the IRGC, Iran has one of the world's largest stockpiles of mines estimated to be about 5,000 plus. Many of them are domestically produced and include moored, drifting, and advanced influence mines. Small boats and submarines can rapidly lay them in shipping lanes, creating persistent hazards that require slow, dangerous clearance operations. Mines were used or threatened by Iran in past tensions, but reports suggest that the density of the current mine-laying is more lethal and wide-spread in the Strait and the entry to the Hormuz. This poses a high degree of threat and uncertainty to the ships in the region, both merchant and naval and the de facto situation is that the US Navy, despite its overwhelming superiority, cannot operate in the Strait with the operational confidence that it can in a mine-free maritime domain. Iran’s claim of laying sea mines, whether true or not, has introduced a complex and lethal navigation hazard and whenever there is a total cessation of hostilities, the Hormuz will have to be cleared of all mines. This will be a very time-consuming task and will need international cooperation. The numbers involved are relatively small, it is estimated that around a few dozen but less than 30 mines have been laid/scattered by Iran. The figures are very imprecise and according to the US and other intelligence assessments, the exact number is uncertain and there will be no official number in the public domain. Iran is reported to have laid a few mines in early March and later, as the conflict progressed into April, additional mines were laid but on a limited and haphazard scale. Iran has struggled to track or remove all of them due to poor record-keeping, drifting, and use of small vessels. This will complicate efforts to reopen the Strait in a full and safe manner. Iran has apparently apprised global maritime regulators that its different agencies did not map the distribution pattern comprehensively due to the conflict conditions. How difficult is it to clear such mines? Clearing mines from the Strait of Hormuz would be extremely difficult, time-consuming, and dangerous. US military assessments cite as much as six months for full clearance — once there is a ceasefire. Apart from the lack of an accurate global positioning system-enabled chart indicating where the mines were first laid, the local maritime geography compounds the difficulties. This Strait connects the north Arabian Sea to the Persian Gulf, experiences strong tidal currents and has varying depths, leading to a three-dimensional domain, with time as the fourth element, since the mines may drift with high and low tides. Sedimentation could lead to mines getting buried and the area to be covered is considerable. The Hormuz strait itself is about 11,000 square kilometres (sq km) and the larger Persian Gulf it connects to is more than 240,000 sq km. Mines laid by Iran would include direct contact, influence (triggered by acoustic/magnetic/pressure) and perhaps more advanced variants. Detecting and neutralising them requires slow, methodical work. Proving that an area is fully clear of mines and meets global insurance standards will be even harder than detection. However, for partial resumption of shipping traffic, swept channels, free of mines, could be created and prominently marked with marker buoys. Consequently, the mine clearing effort will need a capability that Iran does not possess currently. The one nation that is most capable by way of advanced mine clearing and mine countermeasures (MCM) assets is the US. Russia and China also have proven capability but are not at the same level as the US. Other nations include major powers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Japan and South Korea. India does not have any significant mine-clearance capability, and this is a void that has existed for over two decades and will have to be filled. India’s MCM gap is a recognised vulnerability, especially given its long coastline, major ports and regional threats. Plans include induction of indigenously built MCM vessels, but they may be inducted only in the next 10 years. The current closure and militarisation of the Hormuz could be interpreted as a case of critical maritime geography (chokepoints) being used for advancing combat goals by both adversaries. This is not new and historically, from ancient times to the modern era, controlling or denying chokepoints (straits, canals, narrows) has been a classic maritime strategy in economic warfare and naval conflict. In the post-1945 era, that is after World War II, the most consequential parallel is the Suez Canal’s closure for eight years following the 1967 Six-Day War. Egypt closed the canal in June 1967, shortly after the war began. It became the frontline between Egyptian and Israeli forces, when Israel occupied the Sinai Peninsula, including the east bank of the canal. Egypt sank ships, laid mines, and blocked the waterway deliberately as part of the conflict. The Suez remained closed for eight long years until June 1975 (after the 1973 Yom Kippur War and subsequent negotiations) and this forced ships to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope, thereby adding thousands of miles, higher costs, and delays. Markets responded to the Suez closure by spurring the development of larger supertankers and alternative pipelines and related infrastructure. The Sumed pipeline in Egypt that connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea was commissioned in 1977 and provided an alternative to the Suez Canal. Currently, alternate options to reduce dependency on the Hormuz are gathering traction. Major oil producers like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have switched to pipelines and by-passing the Hormuz is being explored by all the major stakeholders.How soon this will happen is moot and in the interim. Brent will fluctuate to levels above $100 and Hormuz-induced belt-tightening across the board will become the new norm. Epic Fury has morphed into epic hardship and alas, the global South will bear the brunt. Written By C Uday Bhaskar Commodore Uday Bhaskar (retired) is director, Society for Policy Studies, New Delhi. Views expressed are personal. First Published: Jun 10 2026 | 6:50 AM IST In this article :

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Business Standard; C Uday BhaskarBy Business Standard; C Uday Bhaskar
Arming the Strait of Hormuz The impasse continues, with the Hormuz being closed by Iran, thereby aggravating an already disrupted global energy market and the US maintaining the naval blockade that seeks to choke Iran's economy Share Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran,…

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Jul 21, 2026strikeUnverifiedUSIsraelIranProxy

US strikes Iran for 10th consecutive night as Tehran strikes tanker in the Strait of Hormuz

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran attacked a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday, forcing its crew to abandon the ship, while the United States conducted yet another round of airstrikes targeting the Islamic Republic as they struggle over control of the key waterway.

The 10 consecutive nights of U.S. airstrikes haven’t compelled Tehran to loosen its grip on the strait, through which about a fifth of all crude oil and natural gas traded once passed in peacetime. Even as the U.S. and Iran inch closer to all-out war again, Iran’s interior minister traveled to Pakistan, a key mediator in the conflict, for talks.

However, it remains unclear just what new deal could be reached to end the fighting. The interim deal signed last month that was meant to end the fighting has crumbled. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has largely stalled. And as fighting intensifies, both sides have targeted civilian infrastructure relied on by millions of people.

“Iran and groups supportive of Iran may target other U.S. interests overseas or at locations associated with the United States and Americans throughout the world,” the U.S. State Department said in a new warning to Americans. The escalation has pushed oil prices higher in recent weeks.

Benchmark Brent crude traded Tuesday above $88 a barrel and regular gasoline in the U.S. climbed to an average of $4 a gallon, keeping pressure on Americans’ wallets ahead of midterm elections this fall. Meanwhile, the U.S. military identified two soldiers who were killed in Jordan in attacks that left a third person missing.

Separately, the military confirmed another death in Iraq on Saturday during the “controlled detonation” of a downed Iranian drone. President Donald Trump took to social media on Monday to warn that “Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over!

” Trump was planning to attend a ceremony on Tuesday evening at Dover Air Force Base, where at least one service member’s remains were due to arrive. US strikes come as ships attacked The U.S. military’s Central Command said Tuesday it targeted “Iranian military command centers, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and air defense systems.

” It released more footage of bombings that targeted sites in Iran. “American forces remain postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable for unwarranted aggression toward civilian mariners seeking to freely and openly transit the strait,” the command said.

Iranian state media reported that explosions were heard in Fars, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman and Sistan and Baluchistan provinces. However, traffic through the strait has slowed to a crawl during the latest violence. Lloyd's List Intelligence said only three ships transited the strait on Sunday.

The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said a tanker came under attack early Tuesday in the strait off Oman, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed the attack, as well as two other attacks on ships Monday in the waterway.

The route around Oman has been the one the U.S. military has encouraged ships to travel to avoid Iran’s control. The UKMTO separately reported Tuesday that another previously unknown attack on a ship took place early the previous day. Tehran also hit U.

S.-allied countries throughout the Middle East. Jordan military's said Tuesday that Iran targeted it with five drones and three missiles, all of which were shot down. Bahrain sounded its missile alert sirens Tuesday afternoon as another Iranian barrage targeted the island kingdom, which is home to the U.

S. Navy's 5th Fleet. Nearly 100 US injuries since early July The Pentagon’s chief spokesperson said nearly 100 U.S. service members have been injured since the U.S. restarted strikes on July 7, and 96% of them have returned to duty.

“The vast majority of injuries experienced were minor concussions,” Sean Parnell posted Monday on X in response to a New York Times report that the Pentagon has withheld information about troop injuries from Iranian strikes. He denied that the Pentagon was hiding data about injuries.

However, the Defense Casualty Analysis System, the military’s clearinghouse for reporting deaths and injuries in conflict, has not been updated as of Monday night with the latest attacks. Yemen rebels threaten attacks on other Mideast waterway Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia on Monday.

The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, said they would block shipping between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden by targeting the Bab el-Mandeb, a maritime chokepoint like the Strait of Hormuz, in response to an attack on Sanaa International Airport last week that they blamed on Saudi Arabia.

With the Strait of Hormuz blocked, Saudi Arabia has been relying on a pipeline to the Red Sea to get millions of barrels of oil out to market. The Houthis earlier demonstrated their ability to disrupt shipping there when they targeted ships for months over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, with over 100 vessels attacked.

Saudi Arabia’s military said it would keep the waterway open. “All Houthi threats against transiting vessels will be dealt with swiftly and firmly, as such threats are a blatant violation of international law and fall under acts of maritime piracy,” said Maj.

Gen, Turki al-Malki, a Saudi military spokesman. A glimmer of hope for diplomacy Pakistan has intensified diplomatic efforts in recent days to resuscitate the interim deal. Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni arrived in Islamabad on Monday for two days of talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and others.

On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the U.S. is still open to negotiating with Iran but that “it has to be real.” “If the door opens to diplomacy — if the guys that want to do something productive for Iran win and take control of that system, or take control of the negotiations — that’ll be a very positive development,” Rubio said.

“That’s not where we are tonight, unfortunately.” Iranian authorities on Sunday said at least 50 people have been killed and 517 wounded in the latest rounds of U.S. strikes. Since the war began on Feb. 28, 17 U.S. service members have been killed.

JON GAMBRELL, Associated Press

Jul 21, 2026strikeUnverifiedUSIranRussiaChina

How the US-Iran conflict has thrown India’s Chabahar plans into doubt

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US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth posted social media images showing damage to a maritime control tower at Iran’s Chabahar port following reported US military strikes, accompanied by the caption “Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz.” India’s Ministry of External Affairs stated that the Shahid Beheshti terminal operated by India at the port sustained no damage.

The ministry reiterated its position that civilian infrastructure should not be targeted during conflicts.

Location: Iran

Divya A

Jul 21, 2026strikeUnverifiedUSIranProxy

U.S. strikes Iran and Houthis threaten Saudi Arabia shipping as mediators push 10-day ceasefire

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U.S. strikes Iran and Houthis threaten Saudi Arabia shipping as mediators push 10-day ceasefire - The U.S. has carried out its tenth consecutive evening of attacks against Iran. - Iran attacked a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday, while Houthi militants in Yemen declared a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia.

- Rystad Energy has warned about the risk of a significant rebound in oil prices. The U.S. completed a fresh round of strikes against Iran on Monday evening as Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis threatened to impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, potentially opening a new front in the Middle East conflict.

The latest cycle of tit-for-tat strikes comes amid reports that regional mediators have presented Washington and Tehran with a proposal for a 10-day ceasefire, a pitch that could put last month's Memorandum of Understanding back on track. The U.S. Central Command said overnight that it had carried out another round of strikes on Iran at 9 p.

m. ET on Monday. "U.S. forces struck Iranian military command centers, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and air defense systems to degrade Iran's ability to continue attacking commercial vessels flowing through the Strait of Hormuz," Centcom said in a statement.

It added that commercial vessel transits through the strategically vital waterway were continuing. Centcom forces, the statement said, had facilitated the transit of around 900 commercial vessels and 450 million barrels of crude oil through the strait since early May.

Iran, meanwhile, attacked a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday, forcing its crew to abandon the vessel as it seeks to tighten its control over the waterway, one that typically handles around 20% of the world's oil traffic. Houthi militants in Yemen on Monday declared a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia effective immediately, a move that could substantially threaten Middle East oil supplies.

The Houthis have repeatedly threatened to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait during the U.S.-Iran war. The strait is a choke point for commercial ship traffic that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and global markets. The militants, in a statement carried by state news, accused the Saudis of laying an "aggressive siege" against them.

Tensions escalated last week after they claimed that Riyadh had bombed Sanaa International Airport. The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said that it would respond to the Houthis naval blockade with force, reportedly describing such threats as "a blatant violation of international law.

" 10-day ceasefire 'won't be an easy task' Oil prices rose briefly on news of the Houthi statement but later pared gains as energy market participants closely monitored the prospect of a diplomatic breakthrough. International benchmark Brent crude futures with September delivery were last seen trading 0.

5% lower at $88.77 per barrel, having surpassed $90 in the previous session. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures with August delivery, meanwhile, stood 0.4% lower at $82.88. Strategists at ING said there's some hope of de-escalation between the U.S.

and Iran given the reports that mediators are proposing a 10-day ceasefire. "This won't be an easy task," ING's Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey said in a research note published Tuesday. "Large divisions remain between the US and Iran. And President Trump said the US would retaliate following the deaths of several American troops," they added.

In a post on Truth Social on Monday, President Donald Trump said: "Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over!" He added that this directive had been passed on to every leader in the military. Saudi Arabia oil risk Jorge León, senior vice president and head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad Energy, said the Houthis' threat puts approximately 2.

5 million barrels per day of Saudi Arabian oil at risk at a time when traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is at a standstill. "With the Gulf's primary maritime outlet largely closed, the market is increasingly dependent on Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline and Red Sea terminals to maintain export flows," León said Monday in a research note.

Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline network, or Petroline, is a roughly 750-mile system that transports crude across Saudi Arabia, connecting Abqaiq on the oil-rich kingdom's eastern Gulf coast to the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea. "Any disruption at Bab el-Mandeb would therefore threaten not only Saudi shipments but one of the few remaining routes capable of compensating for the severe reduction in Hormuz traffic," León said.

"If a ceasefire does not materialize and Hormuz remains largely closed while the Houthi threat to Red Sea shipping intensifies, the risk of a significant rebound in oil prices would be substantial," he added. — CNBC's Chloe Taylor and Spencer Kimball both contributed to this report.

Sam Meredith

Jul 21, 2026strikeUnverifiedIsraelIranProxy

How Houthi Red Sea blockade tightens Iran's grip on energy supplies

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Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis announced Monday they would impose a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, further throttling a global energy market already greatly restricted by Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz. This is why it matters and what it means for the Iran war and the global energy crisis.

It is not clear how the Houthis would carry out a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, its northern neighbor along the Red Sea coast, or whether it would include a return to attacks on shipping. Yemen sits on the Bab el-Mandeb strait – the southern gateway to the Red Sea – and closing that would open up a new front in the energy crisis and Iran's overarching conflict with the U.

S. With the Strait of Hormuz already disrupted, the Red Sea has become a critical alternative outlet for Gulf oil and other products. A serious disruption would mean both of the Middle East's major oil export routes are shut simultaneously. Iran's partial blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after Israel and the U.

S. attacked it on Feb. 28 disrupted most oil and other exports from the Gulf, raising prices and delivering a global energy shock. Saudi Arabia responded by diverting more than 70% of its normal daily crude exports to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Ships from Yanbu bound for Europe go north through the Suez Canal.

Those heading to Asia go south through Bab el-Mandeb. Shipments from Yanbu averaged 4 million barrels per day in recent weeks according to data from Kpler and Signal Ocean, up from around 973,000 bpd a year earlier. Total petroleum volumes transiting Bab el-Mandeb amounted to 7.

4 million bpd in June, or about 7% of global oil output, according to Kpler data, up from 4.2 million bpd last year. That has provided a lifeline for the energy market, helping to keep down global oil prices. Saudi Arabia is considering an expansion of its crude oil pipeline to the Red Sea coast, Reuters reported last week.

When the Houthis launched attacks on Red Sea shipping in November 2023, Gulf oil exports were flowing freely. The Houthis have been in a civil war against the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government for more than a decade and have attacked Gulf neighbors with missiles and drones.

However, a 2022 truce between the country's warring sides largely held until last week, when Yemen's internationally recognized government said it had struck Sanaa airport to stop an Iranian plane landing. The Houthis said Saudi Arabia was responsible and, in response, fired missiles at Abha airport in the kingdom's mountainous southwest.

A senior Houthi official, politburo member Mohammad al-Farah, then warned in an interview on Iran's Press TV website that if the situation kept escalating, Bab el-Mandeb would be closed. The U.S. says Iran has armed, funded and trained the Houthis with help from Hezbollah.

The Houthis deny being an Iranian proxy and say they develop their own weapons. It is not clear how far the group's stance on Bab el-Mandeb and the Red Sea stems from its own strategic priorities or is being made on Iran's behalf. After Israel's genocidal campaign in Gaza, the Houthis began firing at Israel and on shipping in the Red Sea, saying they were doing so in support of Palestinians.

The attacks severely disrupted global shipping, prompting Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and other major companies to divert around Africa – a far longer, more expensive route. Red Sea traffic has not recovered since, with traffic through the Suez Canal down 52% in 2025 versus 2023 levels and at its lowest in at least 50 years, Suez Canal Authority data shows.

A U.S.-led mission to restore free navigation in the Red Sea involved repeated strikes on Houthi targets and a campaign that shot down hundreds of drones and missiles. But some Houthi attacks continued until last summer, only ending completely with the Gaza cease-fire in October.

Last month, the Houthis said they would ban ships linked to Israel from the Red Sea after Israel renewed military attacks on Iran. However, that threat was never acted on and shipping groups Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are resuming some Red Sea routes that they had abandoned during the Houthi attacks last year, Maersk said this month.

While Hezbollah and the Iraqi groups joined the war early with rocket and drone fire after the first U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, the Houthis had been comparatively quiet. The group's leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said on March 5: "Our fingers are on the trigger at any moment should developments warrant it.

" Iranian commanders have repeatedly warned that the Houthis could join the war. The Houthis launched a few missile and drone attacks on Israel in late March and early April. Revolutionary Guards Quds Force commander Esmaeil Qaani said on June 1 they could choke off the Red Sea.

That may now have changed with their announcement of the blockade on Monday against Saudi Arabia in retaliation for what they called the kingdom's siege of its ports and airports, including last week's strike.

Reuters