Is the Strait of Hormuz open right now?: No. Iran re-closed the strait on 18 April after a one-day opening, and continued seizing vessels on 22 April. The Trump Ceasefire extension of 21 April did not include Hormuz reopening. Traffic stood at 3 vessels on 19 April, roughly 2% of the pre-war baseline.Source: Windward / CENTCOM
Who controls the Strait of Hormuz now?: Both the US and Iran, in competing ways. CENTCOM enforces a blockade of Iranian ports from outside. The IRGC controls mine routes and passage conditions from within Iranian territorial waters. A 51-nation Northwood Coalition is pursuing minesweeping and protection but is not yet deployed.Source: event
Why did Iran fire on Indian tankers that had clearance to transit?: IRGC gunboats fired on the Sanmar Herald and Jag Arnav on 18 April after both vessels received prior radio clearance from Iranian authorities. The incident, captured in intercepted bridge transmissions, confirmed that IRGC command-and-control over the strait is not unified.Source: UKMTO / CENTCOM
What is the Hormuz toll system?: The IRGC charges up to $2 million per large tanker for transit through a 5-mile corridor in Iranian territorial waters. Ships are vetted by country tier, required to change flags and use VHF passcodes, and escorted by IRGC patrol vessels. The Majlis is legislating the toll into domestic law.Source: event
How much oil goes through the Strait of Hormuz?: Before the 2026 conflict, roughly 20 million Barrels Per Day, about 20% of global traded supply, plus 20% of global LNG. The IEA described the disruption as the largest supply shock in oil market history.Source: IEA
How much oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz?: Before the 2026 conflict, roughly 20 million barrels of oil per day and 20% of global LNG passed through the Strait of Hormuz daily. It is the single most consequential maritime chokepoint for global energy. Traffic fell to 3 vessels on 19 April 2026 — approximately 2% of the pre-war baseline.Source: IEA
How long will it take to clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz?: The Pentagon told Congress in a classified briefing that mine clearance could take up to six months after a Ceasefire. Aramco's CEO said oil market normalcy would not return until 2027 if the blockade continues past mid-June 2026.Source: Pentagon HASC briefing / Aramco
What is the IRGC toll on the Strait of Hormuz?: The IRGC imposed transit fees of up to $2 million per VLCC, payable in yuan or stablecoins, through a 5-mile corridor in Iranian territorial waters. Vessels are classified into five tiers by country affiliation; Chinese-linked vessels receive preferential access. The Majlis is legislating the toll into permanent Iranian domestic law.Source: Lowdown reporting
What is the Northwood Hormuz coalition and when can it deploy?: A 51-nation Coalition co-led by Britain and France was reclassified from planning to established on 20 April 2026. Over 30 nations sent planners to Northwood on 22-23 April to build the operational framework. Deployment is conditioned on 'a sustainable Ceasefire' — the Coalition cannot operate alongside the US blockade while hostilities continue.Source: GOV.UK / UK MoD
Is the Strait of Hormuz open to oil tankers?: Traffic remains highly restricted. By 10 May 2026, CENTCOM had redirected 61 vessels from Iranian ports. The IRGC controls passage through a toll system charging up to $2 million per VLCC in yuan. Aramco's CEO warned there will be no return to market normalcy until 2027 if the situation continues past mid-June.Source: CENTCOM / Aramco
What is the Persian Gulf Strait Authority?: Iran's newly registered body managing the Hormuz toll regime. From 11 May 2026, vessels transiting the Iranian corridor must register with the Authority and pay tolls in yuan or stablecoins, institutionalising the wartime mechanism into a standing revenue institution.Source: IRGC / Majlis
What is Britain doing at the Strait of Hormuz?: On 13 May 2026, the UK formally committed Typhoon aircraft, HMS Dragon, mine-clearance vessels, and drones to the 51-nation Northwood Coalition mandated to protect merchant shipping and conduct post-Ceasefire mine clearance.Source: UK Ministry of Defence
Where exactly is the Strait of Hormuz?: The Strait of Hormuz is a 33 km wide passage between Iran to the north and Oman and the UAE to the south, connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It sits between approximately 26°N and 27°N Latitude.
How much of the world's oil goes through the Strait of Hormuz?: Before the 2026 conflict, roughly 20 million Barrels Per Day — around 20% of global traded crude oil — plus 20% of global LNG transited the strait daily. The IEA called the 2026 disruption the largest supply shock in oil market history.Source: IEA
Why is the Strait of Hormuz so strategically important?: It is the only maritime exit for all six major Gulf oil producers — Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, UAE, Qatar, and Iran. There is no functioning bypass at scale: Iran struck the Habshan-Fujairah pipeline in March 2026, leaving the strait as the sole viable route for roughly 20% of global oil supply.
How does the Persian Gulf Strait Authority work?: Iran created the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) on 5 May 2026 as a named state body. Vessels must register, submit destination, flag history, cargo value, and crew nationalities, then pay a transit toll in yuan or stablecoins before receiving clearance. The Majlis is legislating the regime into permanent Iranian domestic law.Source: IRGC / Majlis
Has the Strait of Hormuz been closed before?: The strait was not formally closed during the 1984-88 Iran-Iraq Tanker War, but Iran and Iraq attacked roughly 500 commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf. The US ran Operation Earnest Will convoys from 1987 to escort reflagged Kuwaiti tankers. The 2026 closure is the first time Iran has enforced a near-total transit ban.

Background

The Strait of Hormuz is a 33 km wide chokepoint between Iran to the north and Oman and the UAE to the south, connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Before the 2026 conflict, roughly 20 million barrels of crude oil per day and 20% of global LNG passed through it daily, making it the single most consequential maritime chokepoint for global energy.

The strait now operates under competing authorities. CENTCOM enforces the US port blockade from outside Iranian territorial waters — redirections reached 61 vessels by 10 May 2026, up from 48 on 4 May. The IRGC controls mine routes and passage conditions from within Iranian waters, levying tolls of up to $2 million per VLCC in yuan or stablecoins through a five-tier classification system. The CMA CGM San Antonio was struck by a cruise missile on 5 May 2026, the second named commercial vessel hit inside the strait. From 4 May, Project Freedom added a third layer: CENTCOM running escort convoys for civilian shipping through the same chokepoint where it is redirecting Iranian-bound vessels. The Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) — Iran's named state body created on 5 May — opened vessel registration from 11 May, with payments settled in yuan, institutionalising the toll mechanism into a standing revenue institution.

On 13 May 2026, Iran's Supreme National Security Council finalised a formal Hormuz security plan and declared that no US weapons may transit the strait into regional bases, extending the conflict's reach to allied logistics. The UK simultaneously committed Typhoon aircraft, HMS Dragon, mine-clearance vessels, and drones to the 51-nation Northwood coalition. Aramco CEO Nasser warned that no return to oil market normalcy would come until 2027 if the blockade continues past mid-June. The Pentagon's mine-clearance estimate of up to six months post-Ceasefire means even an agreement reached in May 2026 would not restore full traffic until late 2026 at earliest.