Iran War News Live!!
What to know about the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway Iran is blocking
Ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, on Wednesday, March 11. Altaf Qadri/AP
We’ve just brought you reporting on US President Donald Trump’s renewed calls for other countries to send warships to help the US reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has repeatedly warned that vessels passing through the strait would be targeted amid the ongoing war in the region. At least 16 vessels have been attacked in and around the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman since the conflict began February 28, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). A narrow waterway that bypasses Iran and Oman, the Strait of Hormuz is the main route for shipping crude from oil-rich countries such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to the rest of the world. Iran controls the strait’s northern side. About 20 million barrels of oil, or about one-fifth of daily global production, flow through the strait every day, according to the US Energy Information Administration, which calls the channel a “critical oil chokepoint.” According to the EIA, “very few alternative options exist to move oil out of the strait if it is closed.”














