2026 Strait of Hormuz Crisis — Scale Update
Summary
As of May 8, 2026, the Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed since February 28 when US/Israel launched air war on Iran and assassinated Khamenei. IRGC issued passage-denial orders, boarded merchant ships, laid sea mines. US simultaneously blockaded Iranian ports from April 13. 22,500 mariners trapped on 1,550+ commercial vessels.
Key Data Points
- Closure date: February 28, 2026 (war start)
- Pre-war traffic: ~3,000 vessels/month through Hormuz
- Ships trapped: 1,550+ vessels, 22,500 mariners as of May 8
- IRGC actions: warnings, boardings, ship attacks, sea mine deployment
- US countermove: naval blockade of Iranian ports (April 13)
- Operation Project Freedom: US Navy escort mission launched May 4, paused May 6
- Oil transit affected: ~15 mb/d of crude exports
- LNG: 20% of global LNG supply disrupted
Bias Assessment
Wikipedia aggregates multiple sources. Congressional Research Service (Congress.gov) cited as authoritative secondary source.