DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: The widening war in Iran has ground tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to a halt and oil prices have been swinging sharply, highlighting the important role the narrow passageway plays in global energy supply. The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow mouth of the Arabian Gulf through which about a fifth of the world’s oil passes. Tankers traveling through the strait, which is bordered in the north by Iran, carry oil and gas from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE and Iran. Most of that oil goes to Asia.

The Strait of Hormuz, a 39 km-wide waterway flanked by Iran to the north and Oman and the UAE to the south, is a passage through which one-fifth of the world’s oil flows each day.…

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: The widening war in Iran has ground tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to a halt and oil prices have been swinging sharply, highlighting the…