Strait of Hormuz becomes flashpoint

Two United States warships crossed the Strait of Hormuz on April 11, testing one of the world’s most sensitive sea lanes as shipping stayed on edge. (reuters.com) Reuters reported the transit was tied to planning for mine-clearance operations after efforts to reopen the route through talks had failed to restore normal traffic. The move came as diplomats kept talking and Iranian threats kept commercial operators cautious. (reuters.com) NHK said the passage was viewed as a signal that Washington was preparing for the possibility that ships may need military help to move safely through the chokepoint. NHK also reported that uncertainty over reopening the route remained high on April 12. (www3.nhk.or.jp) The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow outlet from the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, and the United States Energy Information Administration calls it the world’s most important oil transit chokepoint. In the first half of 2025, about 20.9 million barrels a day moved through it, equal to about 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption. (eia.gov) Liquefied natural gas also depends on the passage. The Energy Information Administration said about one-fifth of global liquefied natural gas trade transited Hormuz in 2024, mostly from Qatar. (eia.gov) The legal position is clearer than the operating picture. A Joint Maritime Information Center advisory dated February 28 said no formal closure had been issued through recognized maritime safety channels, even as vessels reported radio warnings from Iranian Revolutionary Guard elements and commercial traffic fell. (ukmto.org) By April 9, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said it had logged 28 incidents in and around the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman since February 28, including 17 attacks and 11 cases of suspicious activity. Its incident log included a container ship hit south of Kish Island on April 6 and projectile reports near Khor Fakkan on April 5. (ukmto.org) A March 11 Joint Maritime Information Center update said three commercial vessels had been struck in the transit corridor over two days and kept the regional maritime threat level at “critical.” The same advisory said there was still no confirmed evidence of mine deployment or detonation in regional shipping lanes. (ukmto.org) The United Nations office in Geneva said on April 8 that around 20,000 seafarers were still waiting to leave ships that remained in the Persian Gulf, and the International Maritime Organization was working on a mechanism for safe transit. It said reopening the waterway depended on the ceasefire holding, diplomacy, maritime coordination, and respect for navigation rules. (ungeneva.org) That leaves the April 11 warship transit as both a military movement and a measure of how little confidence has returned to the route. The strait is open on paper, but the traffic that makes it matter is still moving slowly. (reuters.com)