# 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis

| 2026 Strait of Hormuz Crisis |
| --- |
| Part of 2026 Iran War |
|  The Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has returned to "strict control" as of 18 April 2026. |
|

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Date | 1 March 2026 – present |
| Location | Strait of Hormuz, Persian Gulf, and Gulf of Oman |
| Status | **Ongoing Condenação da ONU através da Resolução nº 2817
* Iran closed the waterway again on 18 April 2026.
* U.S. Navy port blockade of Iran remains in effect.
* Failed peace talks in Islamabad (11–12 April).
 |

 |
| Belligerents |
| **United States United States Navy

**Supported by: United Arab Emirates
* Oman (Logistics)
 | **Iran IRGC Navy
* Islamic Republic of Iran Navy
 |
| Commanders and leaders |
| * Donald Trump (President)
* JD Vance (Vice President)
* Pete Hegseth (Defense Secretary)
* George Wikoff (Navy Commander)
 | * Mojtaba Khamenei (Supreme Leader)
* Masoud Pezeshkian (President)
* Ali Khamenei  **† Alireza Tangsiri  **†**
 |
| Strength |
| * 2 Aircraft carrier strike groups
* 12+ Navy destroyers
* F-35 stealth jets
* Mine-clearance ships
 | * Shahed-136 attack drones
* Coastal missile batteries
* Fast-attack gunboats
* Naval mines
 |
| Casualties and losses |
| * 15+ soldiers killed
* 538+ personnel wounded
* 3 F-15E aircraft lost
* 17 military sites damaged
 | * 3,375+ total Iranians killed
* 155+ naval vessels destroyed
* 16 minelayer ships destroyed
* Major damage to Bandar Abbas Navy Base
 |
| * **Current Crisis:** Iran announced "strict management" of the strait on 18 April after the U.S. blocked Iranian food and fuel ships.
* **Oil Impact:** Prices peaked at $126/barrel in March 2026; largest supply disruption in history.
* **Shipping:** 23+ merchant vessels attacked; 7 seafarers killed; 40,000 workers stranded.
* **Tolls:** Iran attempted to charge $1 million per ship for safe passage during Islamabad talks.
 |

The **2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis** is a conflict that is currently going on in the Middle East. It began on February 28, 2026. The crisis began when Israel and United States had a surprise military attack on Iran known as Operation Epic Fury, or the *2026 Iran war*.

In such attacks, a number of Iranian leaders were killed such as the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iran reacted by blocking the shipping with its military in the Strait of Hormuz, a very thin waterway that is highly significant in the oil supply of the world.

The Iranian military is stopping (as of the first week of May), many ships from going thru the Strait of Hormuz. Some ships have been attacked. Iran has been shooting at some ships that have tried to go thru the strait; Iran says that all ships must get
permission (from Iranian authorities, to go thru the strait); Some ships have been detained. However, the Law of the Sea Treaty gives rights for ships, so that they can go thru the strait.

The U.S. military is stopping (as of the first week of May), many ships from going to or from, the Strait of Hormuz. At least one ship has been detained.

About 2,000 ships are stranded in (, or can not leave) the Persian Gulf, as of April; About 20,000 people are working onboard those ships.

## Start Of The Crisis

On February 28, 2026, a huge military operation known as Operation Epic Fury provoked the 2026 Strait of Hormuz Crisis. It was a collaborative air attack between Israel and the United States that attacked more than 900 targets in Iran which included the nuclear facilities, military leadership centers, and missile production facilities. First strikes killed the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei and numerous high ranking officials. Iran responded immediately by having the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declare the Strait of Hormuz a dead zone and started attacking merchant vessels to halt international trade.

## List of ships attacked by Iran

Ships have been attacked, as late as the first week of May; More than 30 ships have been attacked by Iran.

| Name | Flag | Type | Result | Date | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| *HMM Namu* |  Panama | Cargo ship | Damaged | May 4 |  |
| *Barakah* |  Liberia | Oil tanker | Damaged | May 3 |  |
| Unknown |  | Bulk carrier | Un­known | May 3 |  |
| *Euphoria* |  Panama | Container ship | Unharmed | April 22 |  |
| *MSC Francesca* |  Panama | Container ship | Captured | April 22 |  |
| *Epaminondas* |  Liberia | Container ship | Captured | April 22 |  |
| *Mein Schiff 4* |  Malta | Cruise ship | Unharmed and escaped with 5 other cruise ships | April 18 |  |
| *CMA CGM Everglade* |  France | Container ship | Damaged | April 18 |  |
| *Sanmar Herald* |  India | Tanker | Unharmed | April 18 |  |
| *MSC Ishyka* |  Liberia | Container ship | Un­known | April 4 |  |
| *Aqua 1* |  Panama | Oil tanker | Damaged | April 1 |  |
| *Al Salmi* |  Kuwait | Oil tanker | Damaged | March 31 |  |
| *Express Rome* |  Liberia | Container ship | Unharmed | March 30 |  |
| Unknown | N/A | Bulk carrier | Un­known | March 21 |  |
| *Halul 69* |  Qatar | Offshore vessel | Minor damage | March 19 |  |
| *Parimal* |  Palau | Chemical tanker | Abandoned; captain missing | March 18 |  |
| *Gas Al Ahmadiah* |  Kuwait | Tanker | Minor damage | March 17 |  |
| *Source Blessing* |  Liberia | Container ship | Minor damage | March 12 |  |
| *Zefyros* |  Malta | Oil tanker | Set ablaze; abandoned | March 11 |  |
| *Safesea Vishnu* |  Marshall Islands | Oil tanker | Set ablaze; abandoned; 1 crew killed | March 11 |  |
| *Express Rome* |  Liberia | Container ship | Un­known | March 11 |  |
| *Star Gwyneth* |  Marshall Islands | Bulk carrier | Damaged | March 11 |  |
| *One Majesty* |  Japan | Container ship | Minor damage | March 11 |  |
| MV *Mayuree Naree* |  Thailand | Bulk carrier | Aground; 3 crew killed | March 11 |  |
| Unknown | N/A | Bulk carrier | Unharmed | March 10 |  |
| *Louis P* |  Marshall Islands | Oil tanker | Un­known | March 7 |  |
| *Prima* |  Malta | Oil/chemical tanker | Un­known | March 7 |  |
| *Mussafah 2* |  United Arab Emirates | Tugboat | Sank; 4 crew dead | March 6 |  |
| *Sonangol Namibe* |  Bahamas | Oil tanker | Damaged | March 4 |  |
| *Safeen Prestige* |  Malta | Container ship | Abandoned | March 4 |  |
| *MSC Grace* |  Liberia | Container ship | Unharmed | March 4 |  |
| *Libra Trader* |  Marshall Islands | Crude oil tanker | Minor damage | March 3 |  |
| *Pelagia* |  Malta | Bulk carrier | Unharmed | March 3 |  |
| *Gold Oak* |  Panama | Bulk carrier | Minor damage | March 2 |  |
| *Athe Nova* |  Honduras | Bitumen tanker | Damaged | March 2 |  |
| *Stena Imperative* |  United States | Products tanker | Damaged | March 2 |  |
| *LCT Ayeh* |  United Arab Emirates | Oil tanker | Damaged | March 1 to March 2 |  |
| *Ocean Electra* |  Liberia | Tanker | Minor damage | March 1 |  |
| MT *Hercules Star* |  Gibraltar | Oil tanker | Minor damage | March 1 |  |
| *Sea La Donna* |  Liberia | Oil/chemical tanker | Un­known | March 1 |  |
| *MKD VYOM* |  Marshall Islands | Oil tanker | Abandoned; 1 crew killed | March 1 |  |
| MT *Skylight* |  Palau | Oil tanker | Abandoned; 2 crew killed, including captain | March 1 |  |

## List of ships attacked by the U.S.

Ships have been attacked, as late as the fourth week of April. At least 9 ships have been attacked by the United States.

| Name | Flag | Type | Result | Date | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| *M/V Sevan*  |  Panama | Propane and butane carrier | Forced back to Iranian port, after capture; The ship had been taken in the Arabian Sea by a helicopter with a U.S. destroyer. | April 25 |  |
| *Unknown* |  Iran | Oil tanker | Captured; Intercepted in the Persian Gulf by a destroyer, according to a U.S. authority. | April 24 |  |
| *M/T Majestic X* |  Guyana | Oil tanker | Captured; Intercepted in the Indian Ocean. | April 22 |  |
| *Tifani* |  Botswana | Supertanker | Captured; Intercepted in the Indian Ocean. | April 21 |  |
| *Derya* |  Iran | Oil tanker | Captured; Intercepted off western India. | April |  |
| *Sevin* |  Iran | Oil tanker | Captured; Intercepted off Malaysia. | April |  |
| *Dorena* |  Iran | Supertanker | Captured; Intercepted off southern India. | April 20 |  |
| *Touska* |  Iran |  |  | April 19 |  |
| *Deep Sea* |  Iran | Oil tanker | Captured; Intercepted off Malaysia. | April |  |
| IRIS Dena |  Iran | Iranian Navy frigate | Sunk; Torpedoed by the USS Charlotte off Sri Lanka after finishing exercises; Exercises done with the Indian Navy. 238 Iranian sailors killed, 32 rescued. | April 4 |  |

## The "War Of Blockades"

By April 2026, the war had become a two-way blockade:

* Iranian Counter-Blockade: Iran used sea mines, "kamikaze" drones, and fast-attack boats to stop vessels. The IRGC also introduced a controlled passage system whereby they charged a toll of more than 1 million gold per vessel to pass through the tight chokepoint.

* U.S. Operation Economic Fury: On April 12, the negotiations between the two countries broke down, President Donald Trump declared a complete naval blockade of all Iranian ports and coastal waters, which would begin April 13, 2026. According to U.S. Central Command, the blockade was effective in stopping almost all Iranian maritime trade, which eliminated about 435 million of daily Iranian economic activity.

## Status

In a temporary ceasefire in Lebanon, Iran declared that it would completely reopen the Strait to commercial shipping on April 17, 2026. President Trump however, made it clear that the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports would not be lifted.

Subsequently, Iran on April 18, 2026, changed its mind and reclosed the Strait. The IRGC said that the waterway would be under strict management until the U.S. ends its blockade. The same day, Iranian gunboats are said to have fired at a tanker and an Indian flagged ship transporting crude oil causing the ships to reverse.

## Main Events

* February 28, 2026: The U.S and Israeli airstrikes hit Iran. Iran started to assault tankers off the Strait.
* March 1- 2, 2026: Traffic in the Strait reduced to zero. Big corporations such as Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd denied their vessels the entry to the region.
* March 9, 2026: U.S President Donald Trump declared his intention to put the Strait under the trial of the US military to ensure that it remains open.
* March 19, 2026: The U.S and its allies initiated a military operation to sweep in the waterway to sweep the mines and secure the ships.

## Blockade Tactics

To maintain the waterway blocked, Iran has employed "hybrid warfare":

* Kinetic Attacks: Use of fast boats, anti-ship missiles, and drone swarms.
* Sea Mines: Thousands of underwater bombs were planted by Iran. The U.S. Navy started clearing the mines with warships and underwater drones on April 11.
* Electronic Warfare: There have been extensive cases of GPS spoofing and jamming to confuse ships in which some of the ships have been grounded.
* Economic Tolls: The transits charge up to $1 million to pass their friendlies.

## Global Economic and Humanitarian Impact

The most serious world oil market supply shock in history is due to the crisis:

* Energy and Fuel: In March, oil prices went to highs of 126 per barrel, the highest monthly rise in history. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) the situation was the greatest supply disruption in history.
* Logistics: The largest shipping companies, such as Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, have been bypassing the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, which has added 10-14 days to the trip and added up to 50 to the cost.
* Food and Fertilizer: United Nations cautioned of a world food crisis since the region supplies approximately 30 percent of the world fertilizer. These supplies have been cut off by the blockade, just prior to the spring planting season.
* Water Crisis: The Gulf region is facing a humanitarian crisis because Iranian attacks on desalination facilities, which supply 99% of drinking water in Kuwait and Qatar, have caused water shortages in the countries.
* High-Tech Industries: Qatar is also a major producer of helium (almost one-third of the global supply), which is essential in MRI machines in hospitals and manufacturing of computer chips.