Strait Of Hormuz : 20 Facts about Iran’s 167 Km diplomatic weapon
- The Strait of Hormuz is constantly used by Iran to exert global pressure by hampering primarily the oil/LNG/CNG/LPG movement through the strait
- This 167 km long and approximately max 97 km wide strait is chokepoint to the 20% of global oil supply demand
Iran, a country which is home to the world’s first superpower known as Achaemenid Empire has a long history of picking fight with the modern world’s superpower USA in various ways. Although technically they lack the military and air superiority as of USA but Strait of Hormuz is the trump card here. By hampering the global energy movement through this strait Iran has constantly used this proximity as a weapon to exert global pressure both militarily and diplomatically.
The Strait of Hormuz falls into Iran and Oman waters but in terms of controls Iran has upper hand. Actual reason is the occupation of key islands and strategically important geographical positions. As the Strait of Hormuz is 167 Km long chokepoint here we’ve 67 facts about this strait that you need to know.
1. Length and width of Strait Of Hormuz
This strait is 167 km long and approximately maximum 97 km wide, but despite that it is very important as this 167 km passage reduces the distance by providing a 33 km maritime corridor hence preventing ships from navigating throughout the Arabian peninsula.
2. 20% of global oil is supplied
The Strait of Hormuz controls about the 20% of global oil supply which takes place through huge oil tankers. Majority of them are supplied by UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
3. Not just oil but PNG/LNG/CNG
It is not just oil whose transit takes place through strait but PNG/LNG/CNG as well. This strait holds 25% of global LNG trade and 20% of PNG/CNG trades as well. One of the countries heavily dependent on these energy supplies is India which ranks 3rd in PNG/CNG consumption and 4th in LNG consumption.
4. Only maritime route for several oil supplying countries
The Hormuz Strait is the only maritime route to exist for several oil supplying countries like Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Katar and UAE. So closing this strait holds the capacity to cripple down the economy of these countries to quite an extent. Although UAE has developed alternative pipeline for energy supply but it is largely unutilized.
5. Important for Asia and Europe petroleum supply
For Europe and Asia this strait acts as a lifeline. Europe also purchases energy from Russia through its dedicated Nord Stream pipeline but in 2026 these energy flows were heavily restricted by Europe itself except Hungary and Slovakia. This further increased the dependence of Europe on Middle East countries and so Strait of Hormuz.
6. Year 2026 – The closure of Strait by Iran
Following several restrictions and bombings by USA as well as IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) regarding Iran’s Uranium enrichment to become a nuclear power nation the country chose for the complete strait closure for the very first time. This hampered the global oil and energy supply chain to the core pushing crude oil prices past $100.
7. How Strait of Hormuz was named
There are various theories about the naming of Strait of Hormuz. One of them is it is named after Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda pronounced as Hormoz in Persian language. But the truth is the strait got its name by Hormoz, a harbour city with immense wealth located alongside the Iranian cost. It was an important strategic port dating back to 1572, as the city grew, the critical waterways got its name today we call the Strait of Hormuz.
8. Greater and Lesser Tunbs
The Iranian control of Strait of Hormuz also comes with a control of two key islands located near the Strait of Hormuz – those two islands are Greater and Lesser Tunbs. From Iranian island of Qeshm these two islands are just 20 km away and 12 km far from each other. Both islands are hub to Iranian military which allows them better control over the Strait. The sovereignty of these two islands were claimed by UAE as well but Iran has denied it.
9. How many ships cross the Strait of Hormuz?
On an average of 130 to 140 ships used to cross the Strait on daily basis before the 2026 Hormuz crisis began. These 130 to 140 ships used to carry more than 25% of global oil to their respective countries. However after conflict it is down to less than 10 disrupting the entire energy supply chain and causing severe rise in gas/oil prices.
10. The aftermath of the Strait of Hormuz closure
Following the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, on 28 Feb 2026 Iran announced the complete closure of Strait for the very first time. Just in 3 to 4 months after that more than 1,500 global vessels were stuck in the Persian gulf along with 22,000+ crew members. In that moment Asia got the hardest hit by seeing a steep rise in oil and gas prices. Countries like India were severely affected by LPG shortages and hike in petrol and diesel prices. In USA gas prices touched all time high of $5/gallon prompting public anger towards government and its policies of attacking Iran.
11. Biggest Oil crisis since 1970s
The importance of the Strait of Hormuz can be understood by the thing that in just 3 to 4 months of closure it brought the biggest oil crisis since the world has seen in 1970s. Not just it pushed the energy prices sky high but also impacted other metals like aluminium and copper as well.
12. 17 million barrels/day passed through Strait of Hormuz in 2011
According to a data by EIA (Energy Information Adminstration, USA) in 2011 the strait of Hormuz handled a traffic of 17 million barrels a day. This was 35% of all oil transported through sea and 20% of global oil supplied.
13. Most of the oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz goes to Asian markets
2011 data shows that out of all oil passed through the strait more than 85% went to Asian markets. Japan, India, South Korea and China are the largest Asian customers that meets their energy needs through the Strait of Hormuz. Hence during the 2026 Hormuz crisis Japan and India were the one who were affected the most.
14. LNG through the Strait of Hormuz
As we’ve already discussed above the Strait of Hormuz not only handles the oil but LNG/PNG/CNG as well. So a data says that out of all LNG passed through the Strait of Hormuz – 20 percent is bought by China alone and then India stands at 15 percent followed by Pakistan at 6.6% and 3.6% by Bangladesh. All these four are energy hungry countries which relies heavily on Middle East to meet their energy demands.
15. 21 million barrels a day of petrol passed through Strait of Hormuz in 2023
From 17 million barrels a day in 2011 to 21 million barrels a day in 2023 the strait saw a continuous increase in traffic following the rise in energy consumption across the world. Qatar, Iraq, Kuwait, UAE and Saudi Arabia are the countries who had their share in supplying those 21 million barrels.
16. Saudi Arabia supplied 6.2 million barrels a day via Strait of Hormuz in 2022
The biggest supplier through the Strait of Hormuz is Saudi Arabia which supplied 6.2 million barrels a day in 2022 alone. This was followed by Iraq which supplied 3.4 million barrels a day. Both UAE and Kuwait transported close to 3.1 million barrels a day in 2022 via this strait.
17. $52 billion of LNG supplied by Qatar through the Strait of Hormuz
QatarEnergy LNG is the world’s largest LNG producing company. Qatar alone is the world’s 2nd largest LNG supplier. In 2022 Qatar supplied 80 million tonnes of LNG worth $52 through this strait.
18. Just two day delay and 17% increase in delivery time
In 2024 global shipping giant Maersk released a data stating that just a two day delay in the Strait of Hormuz increases the delivery time by as much as 17% pushing the logistics cost higher for routes connecting Middle East to East Asia.
19. 48 hour blockade and $10 to $15 billion loss in global trade inflows
Blocking the Strait of Hormuz Just for 48 hour could cause a loss of $10 to $15 billion in global trade inflows. This will also push the oil price hike to rise by $10 to $15 dollars and about 30 to 50 percent rise in freight insurance premiums.
20. The Strait of Hormuz also acts as a key entry point to Jebel Ali port, the largest port in Middle East and other ports as well
The largest port in the Middle East is Jebel Ali located in Dubai. Vessels use the Strait of Hormuz as a key entry point to have the access of this port. Jebel Ali is the world’s largest man made harbor established in 1985. This port is considered as the primary driver of Dubai’s non oil industry supply. Other ports in the list includes the Port of Salalah (the largest port of Oman) which acts as a major transhipment hub to Asia and Africa. The port of Shuwaikh in Kuwait is also accompanied by the Strait of Hormuz followed by Basra port in Iraq.
So These were 20 Facts about the Strait of Hormuz, we hope that you’ve found this interesting and informative. THANK YOU.
