Straits, Channels, And Seas Codexery

Strait of Hormuz

Strategic waterway for global oil and gas trade.

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The Strait of Hormuz is a waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, with Iran on its north coast and Oman's Musandam Peninsula on its south coast.[1] Annually from 2023 through 2025, the strait carried 20% of global liquefied natural gas shipments and 25% of all oil transported by sea.[2]

Key facts and history

The origins of the name "Hormuz" are vague, with one theory deriving it from the local Persian word for 'Place of Dates' and another from the Zoroastrian god Hormoz.[3] By 1972, Oman also expanded its territorial sea to 12 nautical miles, completely closing the strait's narrowest section by combined territorial waters.[4] In 1981, Iraq began attacking commercial shipping to undermine Iran's war effort, targeting vessels transporting military supplies and later ships carrying Iranian exports.[5][6] The anti-shipping campaigns during the Iran-Iraq War are known as the Tanker War.[6]

In response, Iran struck vessels belonging to nations that traded with Iraq.[5][6] South of the strait in January 2007, the nuclear-powered submarine USS Newport News collided with a 300,000-ton crude oil tanker flying a Japanese flag; no injuries occurred and no oil escaped.[7]

What the cited sources add

The Strauss Center notes that even at its most intense point, the Tanker War failed to disrupt more than two percent of ships passing through the Persian Gulf.[6] A 2026 FAO report states that the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for oil, gas, and fertilizers, has already seen disruptions raising energy and agricultural input costs worldwide.[8] Der Spiegel reported in 2012 that the Omani town of Khasab has grown to become an important hub for smuggling goods across the strait to Iran.[9] The same source reported that every $1 billion in smuggled goods costs Iran 50,000 to 60,000 jobs.[10]

According to a 2011 Mehr news agency report citing data from the Iranian Customs and Excise Department, smuggling across the Strait of Hormuz into the Islamic Republic generates roughly $5 billion annually.[10]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Strait of Hormuz" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Van Dyke, "The Future of Ocean Regime-Building", University of Hawaii, 2 October 2008, p. 216; "The Strait of Hormuz is the world's most important oil transit chokepoint", U.S. Energy Information Administration, 4 January 2012 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Strait of Hormuz" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Katona, "How Iran Plans To Bypass The World's Main Oil Chokepoint", Oilprice.com; "Iran believes time is on its side in the war with the U.S. But its strategy carries great risks", latimes; "Why is the Strait of Hormuz critical to Europe?", euronews, 16 March 2026; Surucu-Balci, "Strait of Hormuz: Gulf states' food security is at immediate risk but wider shortages could push up consumer prices globally", The Conversation, 4 March 2026 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Strait of Hormuz" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Bandar Abbas", Cities of the Middle East and North Africa, Bloomsbury Publishing; Ebrahimi, "Hormoz-Hormuz", Motale'at Irani, 2005–2006, p. 48; Municipality of Minab , (in Persian). Retrieved 30 December 2011.; Chakrabarty, "How did the Strait of Hormuz get its name? Here's the real origin story", India Today, 4 March 2026; "Hormuz", 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, page 694; Milisic, "Iran war: 10 frequently used words and their meanings", Al Jazeera; Rezakhani, "The Kingdom of Hormuz", Iranologie.com, 27 February 2020 (original not rea en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Strait of Hormuz" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Groves, "Accession to the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea Is Unnecessary to Secure U.S. Navigational Rights and Freedoms", The Heritage Foundation, 24 August 2011; Lott, "The Legal Regime of the Strait of Hormuz and Attacks Against Oil Tankers: Law of the Sea and Law on the Use of Force Perspectives", Ocean Development & International Law, 20 July 2022, p. 123-146; Henderson, "Unwanted Guest: The Gulf Summit and Iran", The Washington Institute For Near East Policy, 7 December 2007 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Strait of Hormuz" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Strait of Hormuz – Tanker War", The Strauss Center (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. "Strait of Hormuz – Tanker War", The Strauss Center. facts only, no text reused. strausscenter.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Strait of Hormuz" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Dorsey, "Navy says speed of tanker sucked submarine up to surface", The Virginian Pilot, 10 January 2007 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. "Global Agrifood Implications of the 2026 Conflict in the Middle East", Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2026. facts only, no text reused. openknowledge.fao.org
  9. "A Smuggler's Paradise in Oman", Der Spiegel, 20 January 2012. facts only, no text reused. spiegel.de
  10. Muller, "Hard times for Oman's Strait smugglers", Al Jazeera, 29 September 2016. facts only, no text reused. aljazeera.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Strait of Hormuz (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Strait of Hormuz · Straits And Channels

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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