CORRIDOR IN CROSSHAIRS
It's not the first time Strait of Hormuz has faced threats, attacks
Tanker Shenlong Suezmax, carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia, that cleared the Strait of Hormuz, is seen March 12 in Mumbai, India.
Tankers are escorted by the frigate USS Hawes on Oct. 11, 1987 .
The Strait of Hormuz, seen in 1980, is a critical 20-mile-wide sea link between Persian Gulf oil-exporting nations and the shipping lanes to oil-importing nations.
The U.S. and Israel's war with Iran has thrust the Strait of Hormuz once again into the crosshairs of a geopolitical conflict.
Nearly all traffic ground to a halt in the waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the rest of the globe's oceans. Attacks on commercial ships and threats of further strikes stopped nearly all tankers from carrying oil, gas and other goods through the passage. That led to cuts from some of the world's largest producers, because their crude has nowhere to go.
About a fifth of the world's oil traveled through the strait before the war, and strains on supply sent fuel prices soaring.
This is hardly the first time the Strait of Hormuz was weaponized. Ship seizures and past fighting in the region raised alarm for commercial ships, at times disrupting their ability to sail through. Iran also repeatedly threatened to close the strait in response to sanctions and other tensions over the years, but stopped short of cutting off traffic entirely.
Even with the bulk of traffic halted amid the current war, dozens of vessels still managed to cross the waterway, according to maritime and trade data platforms.
While Iran and Oman have territory in the Strait of Hormuz, its narrow shipping channels are viewed as international waters through which all ships can travel. Still, Tehran holds significant influence over the passage through its nearby military presence and control of key islands in the area.
Here are some others instances when traffic in the strait was disrupted or threatened:
1980s
'Tanker War'
During a deadly, 8-year war between Iran and Iraq in the 1980s, both sides attacked tankers and other vessels in and nearby the Strait of Hormuz, using naval mines to shut down traffic at points. The U.S. got involved in the so-called Tanker War — with the Navy even fighting a one-day battle against Iran in 1988, and later shooting down an Iranian commercial airliner it mistook for a fighter jet, killing 290 people.
The strait didn't close completely. U.S. ships also escorted Kuwaiti oil tankers to protect them against Iranian attacks. Still, the strait became incredibly dangerous and shipping was disrupted.
2011-2012
Nuclear sanctions
At the end of 2011 and into 2012, Iran threatened to close the strait in response to new sanctions from the West over its nuclear development program. The European Union began enforcing a ban on purchases of Iranian oil — and the U.S. similarly targeted the country's energy sector while barring transactions with Iran's central bank. That later prompted other countries to buy less Iranian oil.
Iran walked back some of those threats, and its government did not end up closing the strait. Still, the turbulence and shifts in supply brought swings in oil prices. Brent crude — the international standard — traded above $100 in December 2011 and for much 2012, peaking at more than $126 per barrel in March 2012, before cooling later in the year.
2018
US pullout
In May 2018, during his first term in office, U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from an Obama-era nuclear accord with Iran and began to restore sanctions. Despite some waivers, Trump vowed to eventually cut off all Iranian oil exports. In response, then-Iranian President Hassan Rouhani repeated threats to close the Strait of Hormuz.
Again, Iran did not end up closing the strait. Despite some volatility throughout the year, with particular production pressure on OPEC producers, Brent ended the year trading at nearly $54 a barrel, down from about $75 a barrel when Trump declared the U.S. would withdraw in May 2018.
2019-2025
Seizures and attacks
The U.S. Navy blamed Iran for limpet mine attacks on vessels near the strait that damaged tankers in 2019, as well as for a fatal drone attack on an Israeli-linked oil tanker in 2021. Tehran denied involvement at the time. Regardless, such hostilities strained insurance rates and raised fears for shipping companies.
Iran seized a handful of vessels in the waterway, including several foreign oil tankers it alleged carried smuggled fuel at the end of last year, per state media. The country also captured a Portuguese-flagged cargo ship in 2024 and took two Greek tankers and held them for months in 2022, among other seizures. The strait nonetheless remained open throughout.
JUNE 2025
12-day war
Fears about a possible Strait of Hormuz closure also piled up during last year's 12-day war between Israel and Iran, particularly after the U.S. entered the conflict with bombings on three Iranian nuclear and military sites.
Iran did not close the strait, and oil didn't see lasting price surges. By the war's end, Brent traded below $67 a barrel, a few dollars less than it was beforehand.
