<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the latest update, Iranian authorities temporarily closed parts of the strait during military drills, while the US expanded its naval presence in the Gulf. The moves revived long-standing concerns over the vulnerability of oil and gas supplies that pass through the narrow waterway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Strait of Hormuz links the Gulf with the Arabian Sea and open oceans. It lies between Iran to the north and Oman and the United Arab Emirates to the south, narrowing to about 33 km at its tightest point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite its narrow width, it carries the world\u2019s largest oil tankers and serves as the primary export route for Gulf crude and liquefied natural gas, leaving energy markets highly sensitive to geopolitical shocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Around 20 million barrels of oil per day transited the strait in 2024, equivalent to roughly 20% of global oil consumption, according to the US Energy Information Administration. That translates into close to $500 billion in annual oil and gas trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The strait is also critical for LNG. About one-fifth of global LNG shipments passed through Hormuz, with Qatar accounting for the bulk of volumes. \u201cThere are very few alternative options to move oil out of the Gulf if the Strait of Hormuz is closed,\u201d the EIA has said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most energy shipments through Hormuz are bound for Asia. In 2024, about 84% of crude oil and condensate and 83% of LNG moving through the strait were destined for Asian markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n China, India, Japan and South Korea together accounted for about 69% of all crude and condensate flows, underlining the region\u2019s exposure to any supply disruption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At its narrowest point, the strait and its shipping lanes fall within the territorial waters of Iran and Oman, giving Tehran geographic leverage under international law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Iran could attempt to disrupt traffic using naval mines, fast attack boats and submarines designed for asymmetric warfare. About 3,000 vessels transit the strait each month, making even short-lived interference economically significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Iranian state media have flagged sections of the strait were closed for several hours during military drills, citing security precautions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some Gulf producers have pipelines that bypass Hormuz, but capacity is limited. Saudi Arabia and the UAE can redirect only a portion of exports via the Red Sea or the port of Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Analysts warn that even a partial disruption could trigger sharp price moves. About 70% of OPEC+ spare production capacity is located in the Gulf, limiting the market\u2019s ability to offset losses. \u201cOil prices could even top $100 a barrel\u201d if the strait were blocked, Goldman Sachs said in a recent note.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Multiple industry experts have also flagged that a closure would have a \u201cmajor impact on oil prices in the near term,\u201d depending on how long shipping remained disrupted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Higher oil and gas prices would feed through to inflation, raising fuel, transport and manufacturing costs worldwide, with Asia most exposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOil prices are likely to stay volatile, with sharp two-way swings,\u201d said Sugandha Sachdeva, founder of a New Delhi-based research firm SS WealthStreet, told Reuters, citing heightened geopolitical risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Any prolonged disruption would not only lift oil prices but also strain global trade, financial markets and economic growth, turning a regional standoff into a worldwide economic shock.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Chokepoint handles one-fifth of global oil, leaving prices exposed to geopolitical shocks Dubai: The Strait of Hormuz has<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":167,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-government"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/naeemahalketbiview.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-50.jpeg",480,360,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/naeemahalketbiview.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-50-150x150.jpeg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/naeemahalketbiview.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-50-300x225.jpeg",300,225,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/naeemahalketbiview.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-50.jpeg",480,360,false],"large":["https:\/\/naeemahalketbiview.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-50.jpeg",480,360,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/naeemahalketbiview.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-50.jpeg",480,360,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/naeemahalketbiview.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-50.jpeg",480,360,false],"morenews-large":["https:\/\/naeemahalketbiview.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-50.jpeg",480,360,false],"morenews-medium":["https:\/\/naeemahalketbiview.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-50.jpeg",480,360,false]},"author_info":{"info":["Naeema"]},"category_info":"GOVERNMENT<\/a>","tag_info":"GOVERNMENT","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naeemahalketbiview.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naeemahalketbiview.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naeemahalketbiview.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naeemahalketbiview.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naeemahalketbiview.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=166"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/naeemahalketbiview.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":169,"href":"https:\/\/naeemahalketbiview.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166\/revisions\/169"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naeemahalketbiview.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naeemahalketbiview.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naeemahalketbiview.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naeemahalketbiview.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Why the strait matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Heavy oil, gas flows<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/naeemahalketbiview.info\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-51.jpeg\")
Where the energy goes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Military calculus<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Limited bypass options<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wider economic fallout<\/h2>\n\n\n\n