The Strait of Hormuz has never been truly closed, but shipping has been disrupted in the past and during the 2026 Iran war. The most well-known instance before 2026 was the so-called Tanker War in the 1980s, in which Iran and Iraq attacked oil tankers during the Iran-Iraq War. International naval forces, particularly those of the United States and western European states, intervened to guarantee ships safe passage. Because of the width of the strait and the depth of its waters throughout, it had been assumed that it would be difficult for a country to unilaterally choke off the strait for any prolonged period of time. In 2026 credible threat to vessels passing through the strait was enough to prevent most transit during the hostilities between United States, Israel, and Iran.
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