Strait of Hormuz

• 11 Mar 2026

On 10th March 2026, the U.S. military eliminated 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz.

• The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow channel, approximately 30 miles wide at the narrowest point, between the Omani Musandam Peninsula and Iran.
• It connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman.
• At its narrowest point, it is about 33 km wide, with shipping lanes only about 3 km wide in each direction.
• Iran controls the strait north of the shipping lanes and Oman controls the strait to the south.
• It is a vital route for global oil and liquefied natural gas exports and is one of the most vital oil chokepoints for the global economy along with the Strait of Malacca.
• More than 20 percent of global oil and liquefied natural gas exports pass through the strait, which is a primary route for petroleum exported from Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.