By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2026-03-15

As the US and Israeli forces intensify Operation Epic Fury against Iranian targets, the conflict in the Middle East escalates.

For shipping companies, passage through the strategic Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran now carries an extremely high level of risk.

Shipping companies must now consider longer routes, risking a halt to oil and gas exports from Gulf states heavily reliant on the Strait.

Iran's new supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said that his forces must keep the Strait of Hormuz closed.

"The lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must definitely be used," Mojtaba announced in his first televised statement, on March 12.

Analysts warn the Strait of Hormuz closure would have serious global economic consequences, causing supply bottlenecks and soaring inflation.

Escalating threat to global navigation

"The crisis unfolding in the Strait of Hormuz mirrors events that have already occurred in the Strait of Bab al-Mandeb," Abaad Center for Studies director Abdul Salam Mohammed told Al-Fassel.

"Should both vital straits close due to war, the global economy faces strangulation, soaring inflation, and a drastically worsened crisis," he added.

Following the 2023 Gaza war outbreak, the Houthi group immediately threatened and obstructed navigation in the Strait of Bab al-Mandeb.

These threats disrupted global shipping traffic, which remains abnormal as many companies still avoid the strait.

"The Iranian regime and its proxies are actively destabilizing the region and pose a direct threat to global shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz—one of the world's most critical maritime straits," Mohammed said.

A crippling economic crisis

The Strait of Hormuz is considered one of the world's foremost maritime corridors for the transport of oil and gas.

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that approximately 20 million barrels of oil pass through the strait daily.

This massive volume accounts for nearly 20 percent of global oil consumption, underscoring the Strait's indispensable role as a critical chokepoint for global energy security.

"The Strait of Hormuz holds immense importance for the global economy, especially for oil exports from Gulf nations and a substantial portion of the world's liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, particularly those originating from Qatar," economist Abdul Aziz Thabet told Al-Fassel.

A closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Thabet explained, "would severely impact the flow of key exports bound for major European economies, specifically Germany, France, and Italy."

The strait is vital for regional trade, connecting to Dubai's Jebel Ali Port (UAE), a pivotal hub for offloading and re-exporting cargo.

Iran’s threat to disrupt global shipping through the Strait of Hormuz arrives as global markets are still reeling from the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb crises.