Shafaq News-
Tehran
Tehran has
“effectively” shut down the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News
Agency reported on Saturday, amid escalating military confrontation with the
United States and Israel.
The outlet
said ships and oil tankers have halted transit through the strategic waterway,
while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned vessels that passage
is “unsafe.”
Trading
sources told Reuters that several tanker owners, oil majors, and commodity
traders have suspended shipments of crude oil, refined fuel, and liquefied
natural gas via the strait. An official with the European Union naval mission
“Aspides” said multiple ships received VHF transmissions from Iran’s
Revolutionary Guards stating that “no ship is allowed to pass the Strait of
Hormuz.” Satellite tracking data showed vessels clustering near major ports,
including Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, without proceeding through
Hormuz.
The UK Navy
responded that the Iranian messages were not legally binding but advised
commercial vessels to transit with caution. INTERTANKO, the international
tanker owners’ association, said the US Navy had warned against navigation
across the Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, the North Arabian Sea, and the Strait of
Hormuz, noting it could not guarantee the safety of shipping in the area.
Greece’s shipping ministry also advised vessels to avoid those waters,
according to an advisory cited by Reuters.
The closure
follows coordinated US and Israeli strikes on sites inside Iran, which
Washington described as action against “imminent threats from the Iranian
regime.” Tehran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and
US military facilities in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
Regional media also reported strikes on sites in Saudi Arabia and Iraq’s
Kurdistan Region.
In Iraq,
economic expert Mohammed al-Hassani warned that the escalation could push oil
prices above $80 per barrel if the conflict widens. Speaking with Shafaq News,
he cautioned that Iraq would be among the most exposed countries, as the bulk
of its crude exports move through the Gulf.
“If Iran
closes the Strait of Hormuz as a military response, Iraqi exports would be
severely disrupted,” al-Hassani said, describing the Turkish Ceyhan pipeline as
Iraq’s only alternative route, with a capacity of around 190,000 barrels per
day —a fraction of total export volumes.
About The
Strait
The Strait
of Hormuz lies in the eastern part of the Arabian Gulf and the northwestern
part of the Gulf of Oman, two connected waterways leading to the Indian Ocean.
Iran borders the Strait to the north and east, while Oman borders it to the
south and oversees maritime traffic, as shipping lanes fall within its
territorial waters.
Its
northwestern boundary begins at the line connecting Ras Sheikh Masoud on Oman’s
Musandam Peninsula to Hengam Island, passing through Qeshm Island to the
Iranian coast. This line separates the Strait of Hormuz from the Arabian Gulf.
The
southeastern boundary extends from Ras Dibba on the UAE coast to Damagheh on
the Iranian coast, separating the strait from the Gulf of Oman.
Due to its
geographical location, the strait’s climatic conditions allow year-round
navigation. It stretches approximately 167 kilometers in length and ranges
between 33 and 95 kilometers in width, with depths between 60 and 100 meters.
Four islands
control the northern entrance of the strait: Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, Abu
Mussa (three islands disputed between the UAE and Iran and controlled by Iran
since 1971), and the Iranian island of Farur.
According to
a study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies at Georgetown
University, 86% of Middle Eastern oil exports pass near these three islands,
representing nearly half of the energy upon which global industry, economies,
and daily life depend.
Experts,
therefore, consider that the party controlling these islands can influence oil
supply routes, which explains Iran’s ability to obstruct or disrupt navigation
in the strait.
The strait
constitutes the only maritime passage connecting countries such as Qatar,
Bahrain, Iraq, and Kuwait to international trade routes, while also serving as
a primary gateway for the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Iran.
Globally,
its strategic importance is reflected in trade volumes: about 11% of global
trade passes through it, including 34% of seaborne oil exports and 30% of
liquefied natural gas exports, according to the 2025 report of the United
Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
By mid-June
2025, average vessel traffic through the strait reached about 144 ships per
day, including 37% oil tankers, 17% container ships, and 13% bulk carriers,
according to the same data.
Read more: Iraq braces for financial meltdown amid Hormuz closing threats
