The last time the world seriously worried about the Strait of Hormuz going dark, it was a threat. This time, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is making it a policy.
IRGC spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naini declared that no oil would leave the Gulf bound for the US or its allies until conditions changed.
What happened and why it matters
The Strait of Hormuz closed around March 4, 2026. To understand why that is a five-alarm problem, consider what passes through that narrow chokepoint: roughly one-fifth of the world’s daily oil supply, along with significant volumes of liquefied natural gas.
Brent Crude surged past $120 per barrel almost immediately.
