{
  "id": "strait-of-hormuz",
  "title": "Strait of Hormuz",
  "lang": "en",
  "source_lang": "en",
  "summary": "The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow sea passage linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman. Historically, about a fifth of global oil and LNG trade has passed through it.",
  "category": "geography",
  "subcategory": "",
  "type": "place",
  "aliases": [
    "Hormuz Strait",
    "Hormoz Strait"
  ],
  "generated_at": "2026-10-16",
  "model": "pro/claude-haiku-5-5",
  "url": "https://aiwiki.page/en/strait-of-hormuz/",
  "translations": {
    "zh-Hans": {
      "url": "https://aiwiki.page/zh/strait-of-hormuz/",
      "json": "https://aiwiki.page/zh/strait-of-hormuz.json"
    }
  },
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "",
      "text": "The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow sea passage between Iran to the north and Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the south. It connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and, beyond it, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. It is the only sea route from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, and because a large share of globally traded oil and liquefied natural gas passes through it, it is widely described as the most important oil transit chokepoint in the world."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Geography",
      "text": "The strait lies at the southern entrance of the Persian Gulf and runs roughly northwest to southeast. Published dimensions differ slightly by source. The IEA describes its narrowest point as 21 nautical miles (39 km) wide, while other references give 33 to 39 km or about 35 miles. The width at its widest is roughly 97 km.\n\nCommercial traffic does not use the full width. Ships follow a traffic separation scheme with two lanes, one for inbound and one for outbound vessels, each about 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) wide, separated by a similarly wide median. Most of the scheme lies in Omani territorial waters, but very large vessels use Iranian waters in the south-east because alternative channels near the UAE coast are relatively shallow. Navigable depths in the main channels are generally 60 to 100 metres, which allows fully laden very large crude carriers to pass.\n\nThe strait's rules of navigation are based on the international law of the sea. Commercial ships from countries that are party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea are obliged to follow the scheme during transit passage. Because the strait is so narrow, its shipping lanes lie within the territorial waters of more than one state, which has made its legal and security status a recurring point of dispute."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Economic significance",
      "text": "The strait is important mainly as an energy export route. In 2025 about 20 million barrels per day of crude oil and oil products passed through it, according to the IEA, equal to roughly 25% of world seaborne oil trade. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) instead expresses the flow as about a fifth of global petroleum liquids consumption, since its denominator differs. Roughly a fifth of global LNG trade also transits the strait. Its exports come mainly from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the UAE, Kuwait, Iran and Qatar, and the IEA notes that Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain rely on the strait for the vast majority of their oil exports.\n\nMost of this traffic goes to Asia. The IEA reports that about 80% of the oil passing through the strait is destined for Asian markets, and that China and India together received 44% of crude exports through it in 2025. Japan and South Korea are particularly dependent on these flows. Direct dependence in the United States is smaller, but American oil prices and inflation remain sensitive to disruptions in the global market, because a shortfall anywhere raises prices for all buyers. Analysts also note that the strait affects marine insurance rates, trade routes, and inflation in importing economies."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Bypass options",
      "text": "Few alternatives exist. Only Saudi Arabia and the UAE have crude oil pipelines that avoid the strait. The Saudi East-West pipeline has a nameplate capacity of about 5 million barrels per day, though EIA estimates have put actual movements well below that. The IEA estimates total bypass pipeline capacity at about 3.5 to 5.5 million barrels per day, which could redirect part of the crude flow but cannot replace the full volume. Gas and products from other Gulf states generally have no comparable alternative."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Strategic and security issues",
      "text": "The strait has long been regarded as a potential point of leverage for Iran, which has repeatedly threatened to restrict traffic. Before 2026, the strait had not been fully closed to commercial shipping, although it had been threatened multiple times. Iranian islands along the strait, such as Larak, give Iran a view of the channel and a location from which to monitor and influence passage.\n\nThe 2026 conflict and its effects on shipping are described in the following section. The strait is also patrolled by naval forces from Iran, Oman, the UAE and several outside powers, including the United States, the United Kingdom and France, whose operations are generally not visible on civilian tracking systems."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Disruption in 2026",
      "text": "According to shipping reports, the strait has been closed to most commercial traffic for long periods since late February 2026, when a war between the United States, Israel and Iran began. Before the war, the strait typically handled about 85 to 88 commercial vessels per day; during the closure, transits fell to a few per day at most times. Some recovery occurred in mid-2026 under a US naval escort on a southern route along the Omani coast, and the US government stated that tens of ships were passing each night. Ship-tracking data showed substantially fewer transits than these official statements, and a Kpler estimate put average crude flows at about 13.1 million barrels per day at the end of September, just under 80% of pre-war levels.\n\nAttacks on shipping resumed and intensified in late September and October 2026. Tanker and cargo vessels were struck by missiles, drones and mines, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy issued warnings to vessels that transited outside routes it had authorized. Crude prices remained above $100 per barrel in early October. Conflicting assessments exist about the current state of traffic. A tracking service listed the strait as effectively closed to commercial shipping as of 15 October 2026, citing two transits on 11 October compared with a pre-crisis baseline of about 85 per day. An analyst quoted by AFP, by contrast, said traffic had recently returned to around 80% of pre-war levels. The World Trade Organization's trade tracker found that outbound crude, LNG and fertilizer shipments remained close to zero for most of July and August 2026."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Data limitations",
      "text": "Estimates of flows through the strait depend on methodology. Automatic Identification System (AIS) data does not capture vessels that switch off transponders or naval traffic. Estimates also differ on whether they count crude alone or crude plus products, and on the denominator used to express shares of global supply. Official government figures, commercial tracking data and independent analyses have at times diverged substantially during the 2026 disruption, so figures should be read with attention to their sources and dates."
    },
    {
      "heading": "See also",
      "text": "The strait is one of several important maritime chokepoints, alongside the Strait of Malacca, which handles a larger volume of oil in Asia. Related topics include petroleum, natural-gas, energy, and united-nations bodies concerned with maritime law and security."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    "international-law",
    "saudi-arabia",
    "iraq",
    "kuwait",
    "iran",
    "qatar",
    "insurance",
    "trade",
    "inflation",
    "petroleum",
    "natural-gas",
    "energy",
    "united-nations"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Strait of Hormuz: After more oil left the Gulf, Iran tries to regain its stranglehold on shipping",
      "url": "https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/11/middleeast/iran-hormuz-oil-analysis-intl"
    },
    {
      "title": "Rebounding oil exports through Strait of Hormuz are vulnerable to stepped-up Iranian tanker attacks",
      "url": "https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/06/crude-oil-tanker-strait-hormuz-iran-attack.html"
    },
    {
      "title": "How much oil is going through Hormuz? Why data doesn’t match US claims",
      "url": "https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/3/how-much-oil-is-going-through-hormuz-how-data-doesnt-match-us-claims"
    },
    {
      "title": "Strait of Hormuz Trade Tracker",
      "url": "https://datalab.wto.org/Strait-of-Hormuz-Trade-Tracker"
    },
    {
      "title": "Iran War Updates: Ships in Strait of Hormuz still face \"indiscriminate attacks,\" maritime monitor warns",
      "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/iran-war-us-houthi-saudi-arabia-trump/"
    },
    {
      "title": "Strait of Hormuz Closed, Day 229",
      "url": "https://straits.live/"
    },
    {
      "title": "Strait of Hormuz - About - IEA",
      "url": "https://www.iea.org/about/oil-security-and-emergency-response/strait-of-hormuz"
    },
    {
      "title": "Charted: Global Energy Flows at Risk in the Strait of Hormuz",
      "url": "https://www.visualcapitalist.com/chart-energy-flows-at-risk-strait-of-hormuz/"
    },
    {
      "title": "Strait of Hormuz Factsheet FEBRUARY 2026 I EA. CC BY 4.0. Overview",
      "url": "https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/c8248eba-8689-46d9-ae4b-b858b59c0f1c/StraitofHormuz2026-Factsheet.pdf"
    },
    {
      "title": "Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz is a global inflation, shipping and growth story - LSE Business Review",
      "url": "https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessreview/2026/03/12/disruption-in-the-strait-of-hormuz-is-a-global-inflation-shipping-and-growth-story/"
    },
    {
      "title": "How Much of the World’s Shipping & Oil Goes Through the Strait of Hormuz? 2025 vs 2026 Percentages of Global Supply",
      "url": "https://www.speedcommerce.com/insights/how-much-of-the-worlds-shipping-goes-through-the-strait-of-hormuz/"
    },
    {
      "title": "The Strait of Hormuz: Why It Matters for Global Shipping",
      "url": "https://windward.ai/glossary/the-strait-of-hormuz/"
    },
    {
      "title": "How does the geography of the Strait of Hormuz affect its role in global shipping?",
      "url": "https://www.britannica.com/question/How-does-the-geography-of-the-Strait-of-Hormuz-affect-its-role-in-global-shipping"
    },
    {
      "title": "Strait of Hormuz",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Hormuz"
    },
    {
      "title": "A visual guide to Iran's coastline and strategic islands",
      "url": "https://interactive.aljazeera.com/aje/2026/iran-coastline-islands/"
    },
    {
      "title": "What is the Strait of Hormuz, and why does it matter?",
      "url": "https://news.northeastern.edu/2026/03/19/what-is-the-straight-of-hormuz/"
    },
    {
      "title": "Strait of Hormuz Live: Real-Time Vessel Tracking Map",
      "url": "https://straitupmaritime.com/strait-of-hormuz/live/"
    },
    {
      "title": "Strait of Hormuz Map, Geography & Location: The Complete Guide",
      "url": "https://thehormuzstrait.com/strait-of-hormuz-map-geography-location/"
    },
    {
      "title": "Strait of Hormuz",
      "url": "https://www.statista.com/chart/amp/34642/world-maritime-chokepoints"
    },
    {
      "title": "The Strait of Hormuz is the world's most important oil transit chokepoint - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)",
      "url": "https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=4430"
    }
  ],
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}