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Straits
Live figures · Day 100
Reference

Key actors

Who controls the Strait of Hormuz.

The closure is not one party’s decision. It is enforced by some, contested by others, mediated by a few, and measured by the data authorities Straits cites. The institutions below, not named individuals, are the durable actors in the crisis.

The blockade

Who closed it.

The parties that declared and now enforce the closure of the strait to commercial shipping.

  1. Iranian Parliament

    Passed the 28 February 2026 resolution authorizing closure of the strait to commercial shipping, opening the crisis.

  2. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)

    Holds the operational authority to enforce the closure across the chokepoint and its approaches.

The response

Who is contesting it.

The military and commercial actors responding to the closure on the water.

  1. US Navy / CENTCOM

    Runs interdiction operations on the maritime axis; a phased lifting of these is the reported precondition Iran has signaled for reopening.

  2. The nine largest container carriers

    8 of the top 9 container lines by global TEU have suspended Hormuz transits or rerouted via the Cape of Good Hope.

  3. Gulf crude and LNG shippers

    Tanker and gas operators whose only sea route to market crosses the chokepoint; bypass pipelines cover only about 40% of normal throughput.

The mediators

Who is talking.

The diplomatic track that could reopen the strait.

  1. Oman

    Hosts the indirect US and Iran talks on the maritime track. The market-implied reopening date drifts with each escalation.

The scorekeepers

Who measures it.

The data authorities of record. Straits surfaces their figures with provenance; these are the primary sources behind the numbers.

  1. IMF PortWatch

    Daily commercial transit count of record. Latest reading: 2 vs roughly 94 per day before the crisis.

  2. Lloyd's Joint War Committee (JWC)

    Sets the listed-area war-risk posture that drives insurance pricing and, in turn, whether transit is commercially viable.

  3. US Energy Information Administration (EIA)

    Source of record for oil prices, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and Cushing stocks tracked across the site.

  4. US Treasury OFAC

    Maintains the SDN sanctions list cross-referenced against live AIS positions to flag sanctioned-vessel transits.

The exposed

Who pays for it.

The economies most dependent on Hormuz-borne crude and LNG, ranked by import exposure.

  1. Japan, South Korea, China, India

    The Asian importers carrying the highest dependence on Middle East crude and Qatari LNG routed through the strait.

  2. European Union

    Exposed through LNG supply and the Asia to Europe shipping legs now rerouting around the Cape.

Cite this page

Key actors in the Strait of Hormuz crisis, framed by institution and role, as compiled by straits.live from its tracked sources (IMF PortWatch, Lloyd's Joint War Committee, EIA, OFAC). Reflect the dataHealth freshness shown on the page when citing live figures. Source: https://straits.live/key-actors