Regional system / a narrow channel with planetary reach
The Strait of Hormuz is not merely a blue gap between Iran and Oman. It is an international passage, a regulated traffic system, an energy bottleneck, a stage for rival security claims, and a workplace where seafarers bear geopolitical risk first.
As of 10 August 2026, commercial movement had partially resumed after a June arrangement, but renewed attacks meant the passage was not reliably safe. This page freezes the evidence at that date; it does not track vessels or military forces live.
System anatomy / six moving pieces
A 21-mile pinch point between Iran and Oman’s Musandam Peninsula.
Two-mile directional lanes with a two-mile separation zone.
Roughly a quarter of maritime-traded oil and more than a fifth of LNG trade.
Transit passage, traffic schemes, territorial seas, and competing legal claims.
Missiles, drones, seizures, spoofing, naval deployments, and disputed attribution.
Crews, families, ports, food systems, and economies far beyond the Gulf.
Interactive atlas / source-linked geography
The Persian Gulf narrows between Iran and Oman's Musandam Peninsula. Every tanker must pass through a very small piece of water with enormous economic consequences.
The famous 21-mile figure describes the strait at its narrowest. It does not mean all 21 miles are a shipping lane: the traffic system is organized into two-mile lanes separated by a two-mile buffer.
The Persian Gulf narrows between Iran and Oman's Musandam Peninsula. Every tanker must pass through a very small piece of water with enormous economic consequences. The famous 21-mile figure describes the strait at its narrowest. It does not mean all 21 miles are a shipping lane: the traffic system is organized into two-mile lanes separated by a two-mile buffer.
Competing narratives / attributed, never blended
Iran rejects the framing of a unilateral Iranian “closure” and argues that U.S. and Israeli military action created the maritime danger. That is Iran’s official claim, not an independently proven finding of this atlas.
U.S., GCC, and partner statements attribute attacks and coercive interference to Iran and invoke self-defense and freedom of navigation. Attribution must be tied to the evidence for each incident.
The IMO confirms names, dates, locations, human effects, and vessel damage where evidence permits. Confirmation that an attack occurred does not by itself identify who ordered or executed it.
Historical pressure / selected anchors
Iran and Iraq attacked shipping; outside powers escorted vessels. The strait became a battlefield inside a larger war.
The largest U.S. surface naval engagement since World War II followed the mining of USS Samuel B. Roberts.
USS Vincennes shot down the civilian Airbus; all 290 people aboard were killed.
Iranian officials threatened passage amid sanctions pressure; the threats demonstrated the strait's coercive value.
Attacks and competing attribution claims pushed the Gulf into another high-risk cycle.
Mercer Street, later seizures, and MSC Aries set the immediate pre-2026 background.
The UN condemned initial U.S.-Israeli strikes and subsequent Iranian attacks on regional states.
An agreement increased tanker movement, but it did not restore durable safety.
The IMO confirmed renewed attacks. Its 4 August ledger counted 64 incidents and 17 deaths.
Scenario board / mechanisms, not predictions
Partial passage, higher insurance, naval protection, and episodic disruption. This resembles containment, not resolution.
A durable agreement would need observable compliance, incident investigation, and practical protection for crews—not just a press release.
Retaliation can rapidly compound shipping risk, price shocks, regional war, and miscalculation. The page does not assign probability without a sourced model.
Source room / open the record
Figures display their measurement period. Government positions are attributed to the government making them. Satellite imagery is dated context, not surveillance.
International Maritime Organization · updated 4 Aug 2026
International Maritime Organization
U.S. Maritime Administration · active through 9 Sep 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration · flow data through 1H25
U.S. Energy Information Administration
United Nations · transit passage through international straits
United Nations Security Council · 11 Mar 2026
Letter to the United Nations · position presented as a claim
Letter to the United Nations · position presented as a claim
Naval History and Heritage Command
UN Trade and Development
Food and Agriculture Organization