IranStrait of Hormuz — Live Status Monitor
Current status (July 20, 2026 / Day 143): Closed by Iran’s declaration, contested by both navies, and now joined by a second chokepoint. On July 16 Reuters reported that Iran has asked Yemen’s Houthis to stand ready to close the Bab el-Mandeb — the Red Sea gateway — if the United States strikes Iranian power infrastructure; a source close to the group said missiles and drones are already deployed in Yemen’s highlands overlooking Hodeidah and the Gulf of Aden, awaiting only an order that IRGC representatives in Yemen will give. Closing it would shut the Middle East’s two main export routes at once for the first time in this war: Saudi Arabia answered the Hormuz closure by diverting more than 70% of its crude to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, lifting shipments there to about 4 million barrels a day from roughly 973,000 a year earlier. Both navies continue to fire on merchant ships: the US disabled the tanker M/T Belma on July 15 for “ignoring multiple warnings” and struck another vessel near Kharg overnight, which Bloomberg read as Washington widening the naval operation deep into the Gulf. Traffic keeps draining — of 21 transits on Tuesday, every one used the northern lanes hugging Iran rather than the southern route the US protects. Washington is now weighing seizing Kharg Island outright. This page tracks shipping, oil flows, and transit status in real time.
Real-time tracking of ship transit, oil flow, dual blockade status, carrier suspensions, war-risk insurance, and maritime incidents through the world's most critical energy chokepoint. Data sourced from AIS maritime feeds, Lloyd's war risk indices, UKMTO advisories, and verified OSINT. This page remains active as a permanent maritime intelligence asset beyond the current conflict.
Normal vs Current Flow
Strait Geography
Strait of Hormuz — Intelligence Briefing
Is the Strait of Hormuz open today?
Closed by Iran’s declaration, contested by gunfire from both sides, and as of July 26, 2026 (Day 182) no longer the only chokepoint at risk: the Houthis have declared and begun enforcing a blockade of the Bab el-Mandeb, striking two Saudi-flagged tankers, with at least seven vessels rerouted and oil briefly above 100 dollars a barrel. The IRGC declared the strait closed on July 12 and says it stays shut until “the end of America’s evils”; the United States rejects the closure and has struck Iran for six consecutive days to break it. Both navies now fire on civilian shipping: on July 15 a US aircraft disabled the Curacao-flagged tanker M/T Belma with Hellfire missiles into its smokestack for “ignoring multiple warnings” as it sailed toward Kharg Island, one day after the IRGC said it had disabled two supertankers that were “ignoring repeated warnings”; Bloomberg reported the US struck another tanker near Iran’s main export terminal overnight into July 16, deep inside the Persian Gulf, in what it read as a widening of the naval operation. Eight commercial vessels have been struck since July 6 and the first seafarer, an Indian crewman, has been killed. The traffic answers the question better than either government: Kpler reports a growing loss of confidence in the southern route Washington urges and promises to protect, and of 21 transits on Tuesday every single one used the northern lanes close to Iran; PortWatch counted 603 crossings in the 25 days after the reopening, about 24 a day. On July 16 Reuters reported Iran has asked the Houthis to ready the Bab el-Mandeb for closure if America strikes its power grid — which would shut both of the region’s main export routes simultaneously.
How much oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz?
Under normal conditions, approximately 20–21 million barrels of oil per day pass through the strait — roughly 20% of global petroleum liquids. During the Iran blockade, this dropped to near zero for US-allied shipping, driving Brent crude above $116/barrel and triggering global energy emergency declarations.
How many ships pass through Hormuz per day?
Under normal conditions, 15–20 large tankers transit daily alongside LNG carriers, container ships, and naval vessels — totalling 35–50 commercial vessels per day. During the blockade, commercial tanker transit collapsed to near zero as Lloyd's war risk insurance premiums made transit commercially unviable at over 5% of vessel value.
Why is the Strait of Hormuz important?
The Strait is the world's most critical maritime chokepoint. It connects the Persian Gulf — home to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, and Iran's oil fields — to global shipping lanes. Any disruption causes immediate global energy price spikes, supply shortages, and economic cascades across oil-importing nations.
What happened to Hormuz in 2026?
Iran imposed a selective blockade on February 28, 2026, at the war's start. The US imposed a parallel naval blockade of Iranian ports on April 13, creating a structural 'dual blockade' that largely closed the channel to normal commercial traffic for months and drove a global energy shock. Under the US-Iran memorandum signed June 17, 2026, both blockades were lifted — the US ended its blockade on June 18 — and the strait reopened, with commercial traffic surging on June 19 per ship-tracking data.
What is the war risk insurance rate for Hormuz?
War-risk premiums surged from roughly 0.05% before the war to over 5% during the peak blockade — a 100-fold increase that effectively priced commercial traffic out of the strait. Following the US-Iran deal, the lifting of the US blockade on June 18, and the June 19 reopening, premiums are expected to ease as transits resume and confidence returns, though the normalization of insurance rates typically lags the physical reopening.