Hormuz | The strait where America stalled

Since late February 2026, shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been severely disrupted following the outbreak of a US-Israeli military campaign ...

What Happened

Since late February 2026, shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been severely disrupted following the outbreak of a US-Israeli military campaign against Iran.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps issued warnings forbidding merchant passage through the strait, deployed sea mines, and boarded and attacked commercial vessels.
Before the conflict, approximately 25% of the world's seaborne oil trade and 20% of global LNG exports passed through the strait; this volume collapsed dramatically during the disruption.
Oil prices surged from roughly $55 per barrel at the start of 2026 to over $105 by mid-May, peaking above $119 per barrel in early March — one of the steepest short-term price spikes in modern history.
Persian Gulf states unable to route exports around the strait — Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE — have seen significant export revenue declines, while Saudi Arabia and Oman, which have alternative pipeline or geographic routes, have been partially insulated.
Up to 30% of internationally traded fertilisers also transit the strait, compounding the global supply-chain impact beyond energy.

Static Topic Bridges

Strategic Chokepoints and Global Energy Security

A maritime chokepoint is a narrow, high-traffic waterway through which large volumes of global trade — particularly energy commodities — must pass. Disruption to even one such chokepoint can trigger cascading effects on global supply chains and commodity prices. The EIA (US Energy Information Administration) classifies the Strait of Hormuz as the world's most important oil transit chokepoint, and the Strait of Malacca as the second most important.

The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea; at its narrowest, it is approximately 21 nautical miles (about 39 km) wide.
The strait separates Iran to the north from Oman (and the UAE) to the south; shipping lanes run primarily through Omani territorial waters, with partial overlap into Iranian waters.
Navigable water depth ranges from 60 to over 90 metres, accommodating the world's largest oil tankers (Very Large Crude Carriers/Ultra Large Crude Carriers).
Other critical global chokepoints for UPSC: Strait of Malacca (Southeast Asia), Bab-el-Mandeb (Red Sea–Gulf of Aden), Suez Canal (Egypt), Panama Canal (Central America), and the Turkish Straits (Bosphorus and Dardanelles).

Connection to this news: Iran's ability to threaten or restrict passage through the strait is its most potent coercive lever. The 2026 disruption validated long-standing strategic concern that no adequate alternative route exists for most Persian Gulf oil — making the chokepoint the decisive battlefield in the US-Iran standoff.

UNCLOS and the Right of Transit Passage

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), adopted in 1982 and in force since 1994, is the foundational legal framework governing international navigation, including through straits used for international navigation. UNCLOS introduced the concept of "transit passage" (Articles 37–44) as a stronger right than innocent passage, specifically for straits connecting two areas of high seas or EEZ.

Article 38(1) of UNCLOS grants all ships and aircraft the right of transit passage through international straits — this applies to both merchant vessels and naval ships.
Article 38 explicitly states that transit passage "shall not be impeded" by coastal states.
Article 44 prohibits coastal states from suspending transit passage rights for any reason, including military reasons — making Iran's blockade legally contested under international law.
"Innocent passage" (applicable in territorial seas) can be suspended by the coastal state, but transit passage cannot — a critical distinction.
India is a signatory to UNCLOS (ratified 1995); India's EEZ extends 200 nautical miles from its baseline.

Connection to this news: Iran's enforcement actions in the strait — mining, boarding, and warning commercial vessels — directly conflict with transit passage rights under UNCLOS, framing the crisis as both a geopolitical and an international law dispute.

Energy Security and Import Dependence

Energy security refers to a country's ability to access adequate, reliable, and affordable energy supplies. For net energy importers like India, disruption to key maritime supply routes represents a direct national security risk.

India is the world's third-largest oil importer and consumer; it imports approximately 85–87% of its crude oil requirements.
A significant share of India's crude oil imports originate from the Persian Gulf region (Iraq, Saudi Arabia, UAE), all of which transit through or near the Strait of Hormuz.
India's Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) programme, managed under the Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL), maintains emergency reserves at Visakhapatnam, Mangaluru, and Padur — with a combined capacity of about 5.33 million metric tonnes (approximately 39 million barrels).
The International Energy Agency (IEA) recommends member countries maintain 90 days' worth of net oil import cover as a buffer; India is not an IEA member but has used SPR releases to moderate domestic fuel prices during supply crunches.

Connection to this news: The Hormuz disruption directly threatened India's crude oil supply chain, illustrating the strategic rationale behind diversifying suppliers, building SPR capacity, and engaging diplomatically with all parties in West Asian conflicts.

Key Facts & Data

Strait of Hormuz narrowest width: approximately 21 nautical miles (39 km).
Pre-crisis oil flow through the strait: ~25% of global seaborne oil trade; ~20% of global LNG trade.
WTI crude price range during crisis: from ~$55/barrel (Jan 2026) to peak of ~$119/barrel (March 2026); ~$105/barrel by mid-May 2026.
Share of internationally traded fertilisers transiting the strait: up to 30%.
States insulated from disruption: Saudi Arabia (East-West pipeline to Red Sea) and Oman (southern geography bypasses the strait's choke zone).
UNCLOS in force since: 16 November 1994; 168 parties as of 2024.
India's crude oil import dependence: approximately 85–87% of domestic requirement.
India's SPR capacity: ~5.33 million metric tonnes (Visakhapatnam, Mangaluru, Padur).