The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow corridor through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply normally flows, is effectively closed. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei confirmed the closure will remain in place until the United States changes its behavior and fulfills specific commitments demanded by Tehran.
The shutdown, which began February 28, 2026, following U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iranian positions, has now stretched into its sixth month with no credible resolution in sight.
A chokepoint living up to its name
Think of the Strait of Hormuz as the world’s most consequential single-lane road. When it works, roughly 74 ships pass through daily. As of August 22, 2026, that number has collapsed to just four.
That is traffic running at approximately 6% of pre-crisis levels.
