Under fire from the United States and Israel, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic, choking the energy supply and sending energy prices soaring across the world.
However, the West Asian state is purportedly letting its tankers pass through the narrow strait, even as the rest are subjected to unprecedented attacks.
The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest oil shipping channels, has been virtually blocked by Iran in response to “Operation Epic Fury,” which began on February 28, 2026.
Iran started hitting vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz in early March 2026, shortly after the US and Israel launched their joint strikes.
The two allies have together targeted high-ranking officials of the Islamic regime, killed its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, assassinated senior IRGC commanders, struck military buildings, ballistic missile sites, and even nuclear facilities.
While the US and Israel believed that the operation would cripple the West Asian country or trigger regime change rather quickly, Iran immediately retaliated with drones and missile strikes on the US assets, Israel, and US military facilities spread out across the Gulf region, and has managed to sustain these attacks for more than two weeks. The two sides have since been engaged in a brutal and bloody war that has claimed many lives.
In addition to launching a full-blown military retaliation and regional escalation, Iran also leveraged the world’s most significant shipping lane to challenge its adversaries.
“The strait (of Hormuz) is closed. If anyone tries to pass, the heroes of the Revolutionary Guards and the regular navy will set those ships ablaze,” Ebrahim Jabari, a senior adviser to the Guards commander-in-chief, announced after the first attack.
What Is The Strait Of Hormuz?
The blocking of the Strait of Hormuz has sent ripples across the world because about 20% of the world’s oil and LNG traffic passes through this narrow waterway.
The strait, which connects the Gulf to the Arabian Sea, is bounded to the north by Iran and to the south by Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
It is only roughly 50 kilometres, or about 31 miles, wide at its entrance and departure, and just about 33 kilometres wide at its narrowest point.
Iran controls the steep northern portion of the strait. It can use radars to efficiently monitor traffic passing through the strait from its hills, and deploy air defence and surface-to-surface weapons to control who enters or exits the strait. However, to enforce the closure, it has also used sea drones to launch attacks on vessels in and near the Strait of Hormuz.
“The geography favours asymmetric warfare. A smaller power does not need naval superiority to cause disruption; it only needs to create uncertainty,” as previously explained by a detailed EurAsian Times article.
About 90 million tons of LNG move through the strait annually, accounting for nearly 25% of global trade. Additionally, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimated that about 20 million barrels of oil and oil products crossed the strait every single day in 2025. This amounts to an annual energy exchange of $600 billion.
Besides Iran, other Gulf nations such as Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE also use the Strait of Hormuz for energy export.
Due to Iran’s threats to attack tankers and other ships, the number of ships passing through the strait has drastically dropped from its number of 3,000. As a result, the price of crude oil has increased to over $100 per barrel, up nearly 50% from a year ago and nearly 70% this year. However, it must be noted that the increase in oil and gas prices is also, in part, due to frequent attacks on gas fields in the wake of tit-for-tat attacks.
Since the conflict broke out, Iran has attacked or targeted over 20 commercial vessels. The impact has been such that US President Donald Trump has called on his NATO allies to help open the Strait of Hormuz.
While non-committal at first, the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Japan declared their “readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the [Hormuz] Strait” in a joint statement on March 19, 2026.
That said, it is also pertinent to note that sporadic energy exports have continued through the strait despite its closure and disruptions. But who has Iran spared?
India & China Spared Iran’s Fury
Amid regular strikes on shipping in the region by Iran, data analysed by BBC Verify reveals that just under 100 ships have crossed the Strait of Hormuz since the beginning of March, and daily traffic has decreased by almost 95% since the start of the Iran conflict.
The Joint Maritime Information Centre estimates that 138 ships, or one-fifth of the world’s oil supply, crossed the strait every day prior to the conflict.
However, only 99 ships have crossed the narrow strait so far this month—an average of only five to six ships every day, according to data collated by shipping analysts Kpler.
According to the BBC analysis, ships with ties to Iran accounted for around one-third of these recent crossings. These include 14 ships flying the Iranian flag and others subject to sanctions due to possible ties to Tehran’s oil trade.
However, the other two major beneficiaries of the concessions were among the largest oil importers in Asia—China and India.
Six ships had India listed as their destination, and nine other ships were owned by businesses with addresses connected to China.
Iran has granted safe passage to several Indian-flagged or India-bound vessels, particularly after diplomatic engagements. For instance, two Indian LPG tankers, Shivalik and Nanda Devi, owned by state-run Shipping Corp. of India, were allowed to safely transit to western Indian ports around March 13–14, 2026, according to reports in Indian media. These ships have reportedly been escorted by Indian Navy ships.
While there is no blanket assurance given to India, Iran granted passage for these vessels as exceptions. Currently, New Delhi has earmarked 22 India-bound vessels that are stuck in the Persian Gulf, including 20 ships considered crucial to India’s energy security amid the country’s prevailing LPG shortages.
The Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said that there was no “blanket arrangement” with Iran for India-flagged ships, “every ship movement is an individual happening.”
Indian refiners process about 5.6 million barrels per day of crude, with about 40% of their crude imports passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Additionally, about 90% of India’s imported LPG passes through the strait, making it critical to India’s energy supply.
China-linked or affiliated vessels, often referred to as the “shadow fleet,” have made more passages than Indian vessels, according to Lloyd’s List data. In fact, previous reports suggested that Iran initially favoured Chinese vessels due to Beijing’s supportive stance against the war and its heavy reliance on Gulf oil.
According to Windward, dozens of ships operating in the Gulf that transmitted AIS (automatic identification system) destinations mentioned Chinese ownership or crew involvement. “This pattern suggests the possibility of an informal access filter, where vessels signalling Chinese ownership or crew may be attempting to indicate neutrality or avoid targeting in the current conflict environment,” Windward analysts reportedly stated.
Reports indicate that Beijing was negotiating with Iran to allow carriers of Qatari liquefied natural gas and crude oil to transit the strait. In fact, Iran has sent China millions of barrels of crude oil since the beginning of the conflict.
However, like India, China has also not been accorded blanket security against attacks. According to Lloyd’s List Intelligence, a China-owned ship broadcasting “China Owner” via AIS during transit was hit by shrapnel on March 12 while travelling from the Middle East Gulf toward Jebel Ali in the UAE. This incident discouraged other Chinese transits.
China is heavily reliant on the Strait of Hormuz for imported energy, sourcing roughly 50% of its crude and 30% of its Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from suppliers in the Persian Gulf.
On its part, Iran has maintained that the Strait of Hormuz has not been closed, but ship traffic is moving under “special conditions.”
According to the maritime data and intelligence company, Lloyd’s List, Iran has created a de facto safe shipping corridor for approved or paid-for transits. “While use of the Iranian corridor is currently being negotiated on a case-by-case basis, Lloyd’s List understands that the IRGC is expected to establish a more formalised vessel approval process in the coming days,” Lloyd’s List stated in a recent report.
Prior to the passage, ships wishing to use the pre-approved route are required to provide the IRGC with comprehensive information on the vessel’s ownership and the cargo’s destination. A number of Iran-affiliated people working outside of Iran are disseminating those details.
However, security experts have cautioned that safe transit is not always ensured by Iranian clearance. Individual units within Iran’s IRGC could delay transit or even seize vessels that have been ostensibly “cleared” by other authorities or IRGC factions.
Therefore, risks persist as the war drags on.
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