Iran’s top joint military command announced the indefinite closure of the Strait of Hormuz on June 10, threatening to fire on any vessel attempting to navigate the waterway. The move represents the most significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between Iran and the US-Israeli coalition, and it targets the single most important bottleneck in the global energy supply chain.
The Strait of Hormuz handles roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply and substantial volumes of liquefied natural gas.
How we got here
US-Israeli military operations against Iran began earlier in 2026, with strikes ramping up in late February and March. Iran had already signaled its intentions to restrict the strait as far back as March, making today’s announcement less a surprise and more the fulfillment of a very loud promise.
What changed on June 10 is the formal declaration and the explicit threat of military force against commercial shipping. That transforms the situation from a tense standoff into something closer to an active blockade.
