Iran announced it was closing the Strait of Hormuz<\/a> \u2014 a key shipping route through which 20% of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas traveled.<\/p>\nThe strait remained effectively closed, with just a fraction of pre-war traffic passing through, until an agreement between the US and Iran was reached in mid-June, allowing it to reopen, and traffic increased. But just days later, Iranian strikes on vessels using a route Tehran hadn\u2019t authorized led to the collapse of the ceasefire and traffic dropped yet again.<\/p>\n
Iran claims sovereignty over the strait, but the US and Gulf Arab countries disagree. This has created a complicated system of competing routes through this critical waterway.<\/p>\n
How are ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz now?<\/p>\n
The Strait of Hormuz is no longer simply open or closed, and ships have several options to cross this critical waterway.<\/p>\n
Pre-war route <\/p>\n
Through the center of the strait<\/p>\n
Designated a “danger zone” by Iran on April 9 after mines were laid through the strait’s center.<\/p>\n
Oman-IMO traffic separation scheme <\/p>\n
Oman\u2019s northern coast<\/p>\n
Oman says passage through the strait is guaranteed under international law.<\/p>\n
Dark or
unknown route <\/p>\n
Unknown<\/p>\n
Many ships switch off their tracking transponders to avoid detection.<\/p>\n
Iran-asserted traffic separation scheme <\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s southern coast<\/p>\n
Iran demands all vessels use this route and has been charging ships a fee to pass.<\/p>\n
Iran’s<\/p>\n
territorial<\/p>\n
waters<\/p>\n
Oman’s<\/p>\n
territorial<\/p>\n
waters<\/p>\n
Iran’s<\/p>\n
territorial<\/p>\n
waters<\/p>\n
Oman’s<\/p>\n
territorial<\/p>\n
waters<\/p>\n
Iran’s<\/p>\n
territorial<\/p>\n
waters<\/p>\n
Oman’s<\/p>\n
territorial<\/p>\n
waters<\/p>\n
Iran’s<\/p>\n
territorial<\/p>\n
waters<\/p>\n
Oman’s<\/p>\n
territorial<\/p>\n
waters<\/p>\n
Source: The Institute for the Study of War with AEI’s Critical Threats Project; Flanders Marine Institute (2026): MarineRegions.org<\/p>\n
Before the war, around 100 vessels passed through the strait every day. This has dropped dramatically since the conflict began.<\/p>\n
Keep scrolling to see how traffic has adapted to many phases of the conflict.<\/p>\n
Oman<\/p>\n
Pre-war<\/p>\n
Dark\/unknown<\/p>\n
Iran<\/p>\n
Pre-war normal traffic:<\/p>\n
around 100 vessels per day<\/p>\n
As of Aug. 13, 2026, in the 167
\n days since the war began, 3,371 vessels
\n have crossed the strait. That\u2019s around 20% of what traffic
\n would have been before the war.<\/p>\n
Data as of Aug. 13, 2026.<\/p>\n
Source: KplerIs this the new normal for the Strait of Hormuz?<\/p>\n
Iran and Oman have long shared the waters in the Strait of Hormuz, and since 1968 vessels have traveled through a route established by the International Maritime Organization. In 1974, both countries signed an agreement at the United Nations defining the maritime boundaries in the strait.<\/p>\n
As Iran exchanges missiles with the US and negotiates with Oman to rethink the long-established routes, shipping must adapt to this new volatile reality. What are the options for vessels trying to use the strait?<\/p>\n
Here is a rundown of some of the risks and complications that vessels might encounter as they pass through.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"How traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is adapting to war By Lou Robinson, CNN Published August 14,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":857716,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[45,49,48],"class_list":["post-857819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-ca","tag-canada"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=857819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857819\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/857716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=857819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=857819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=857819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}