Who controls the Strait of Hormuz.

Who closed it.

The parties that declared and enforce the closure of the strait to commercial shipping. Iran has since claimed reopenings more than once; carriers have not returned, which is why the verdict tracks carrier postures.

1. Iran

   Closed the strait to commercial shipping in response to the 28 February 2026 US-Israeli airstrikes (Operation Epic Fury); the formal closure was declared in early March 2026, opening the crisis.

2. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)

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

Who is contesting it.

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

1. US Navy / CENTCOM

   Ran the naval blockade of Iran declared in April 2026 and the Project Freedom escort convoys; briefly lifted the blockade on June 18, 2026 under the Islamabad Memorandum, then resumed strikes on Iranian targets in late June after the ceasefire frayed and Iran moved to re-assert control over the strait. ${RECENT_ESCALATION}

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.

Who brokered it.

The diplomatic track that produced the reopening framework.

1. Pakistan

   Primary broker of the June 2026 Islamabad Memorandum, the framework the US and Iran signed to reopen the strait and end the blockade; Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt also facilitated. The full diplomatic timeline is on the peace-talks page.

2. Oman

   A longstanding back-channel between Washington and Tehran, now the lead mediator hosting a technical track in Muscat after the June 17 framework collapsed. Oman has proposed separate inbound and outbound shipping lanes and a navigational-fee framework for the strait; the talks remain unresolved, with the US opposed to any Iranian-controlled transit regime and Iran resisting the split-lane plan.

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: 34 vs roughly 88 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.

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.