Strait of Hormuz again central concern

Iran has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the United States lifts its blockade and ends the war, according to regional officials cited by The Associated Press on April 27. (apnews.com) The proposal would postpone nuclear talks and focus first on ending fighting and restoring shipping through the waterway between Iran and Oman. (apnews.com) That narrow passage matters because it handled an average 20 million barrels a day of crude oil and petroleum products in 2025, according to the International Energy Agency. At its narrowest point, the strait is 29 nautical miles wide, with two-mile shipping lanes in each direction. (iea.org) The U.S. Energy Information Administration says flows through Hormuz in 2024 and early 2025 accounted for more than one-quarter of global seaborne oil trade and about one-fifth of world oil consumption. About one-fifth of global liquefied natural gas trade also moved through the strait in 2024, mostly from Qatar. (eia.gov 1) (eia.gov 2) Traffic has not just been politically sensitive; it has been physically disrupted. Bloomberg reported on April 19 that observed commercial transits halted after vessels came under gunfire and at least 13 oil tankers turned back toward the Persian Gulf. (bloomberg.com) The International Maritime Organization said on March 1 that at least one person had been killed and several seafarers injured in attacks on merchant vessels in the area. On a separate hot-topics page, it said more than 20,000 seafarers were in the region, including crews stranded on ships unable to exit the strait. (imo.org 1) (imo.org 2) The current standoff follows weeks of shifting signals. Bloomberg reported on April 12 that President Donald Trump said the United States would begin blockading ships trying to enter or leave the strait after peace talks failed. (bloomberg.com) Iran later said it would open the strait during a 10-day Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire announced in mid-April, but Bloomberg and AP both reported that the waterway remained a sticking point as wider diplomacy stalled. (bloomberg.com) (apnews.com) The International Energy Agency said this month that resuming flows through Hormuz remains “the single most important variable” for easing pressure on energy supplies, prices and the global economy. Its March oil report said the war had cut flows from around 20 million barrels a day to a trickle at one stage. (iea.org 1) (iea.org 2) For now, the strait is back at the center of diplomacy because any durable ceasefire still has to answer one practical question: whether tankers can cross safely every day. (apnews.com) (iea.org)