In a significant escalation of the ongoing Middle East conflicts, the United States launched military strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities early Sunday morning local time.
President Donald Trump stated that the action was aimed at neutralizing a threat posed by what he called ‘the world’s number one state sponsor of terror.’
This marked the first direct intervention by U.S. forces in the escalating war between Israel and Iran, capturing international attention and igniting concerns about potential Iranian retaliation.
Geopolitical analysts are particularly worried that Iran might attempt to block oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical commercial passageway that the country partially controls.
Located between Oman and Iran, the Strait of Hormuz serves as the gateway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
At its narrowest width, the strait measures just 21 miles.
This waterway is crucial for global trade, facilitating the transit of millions of barrels of oil and petroleum products daily, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), a branch of the U.S. Department of Energy.
Iran controls the northern side of the strait, while Oman and the United Arab Emirates maintain control over the southern side.
Due to its strategic location, the Strait of Hormuz has become one of the most significant oil chokepoints globally, as defined by U.S. energy officials.
Chokepoints are narrow channels along widely used global sea routes that play a critical role in maintaining global energy security.
Any disruption in these chokepoints can result in increased shipping costs and supply delays.
Historically, Iran has leveraged the threat of closing the strait to deter Western political and military pressure.
According to the EIA, in 2024 and the first quarter of 2025, over a quarter of the world’s maritime oil trade flowed through the Strait of Hormuz, equating to approximately one-fifth of global oil and petroleum consumption.
The agency reports that around 20 million barrels of oil have navigated the strait daily since at least 2020.
Tankers have shown that close to 40% of the barrels shipped last year were exported from Saudi Arabia, making it the leading oil-exporting nation through the strait.
In addition to oil, the strait is also vital for liquefied natural gas trade, accounting for about one-fifth of the global LNG trade in 2024, primarily sourced from Qatar, according to the EIA.
Although both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates possess oil pipelines that could serve as alternate trade routes if access to the Strait of Hormuz becomes compromised, their capacities are relatively limited.
The EIA voiced concerns that any disruptions to the flow of oil through the strait could have significant repercussions for certain markets, namely China, India, Japan, and South Korea, which depended heavily on oil and gas transiting through this vital waterway.
For the United States, oil imports via the Strait of Hormuz comprised only 7% of total oil imports and 2% of liquid petroleum consumption during that timeframe.
However, officials warn that even minor interferences with oil flows through the strait could disturb international energy markets and economic stability globally.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the implications of Iran potentially blocking the strait during an appearance on
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