What is the Strait of Hormuz and where is it?
Posted on Feb 28, 2026 / Travel
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow sea passage that connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, sitting between Iran to the north and Oman’s Musandam Peninsula to the south. It’s one of the most important waterways in the world for moving oil, gas, and other goods because it’s basically the only sea route out of the oil-rich Gulf region. In recent years, roughly 20 million barrels of crude oil and a huge amount of liquefied natural gas (LNG) passed through it every day, which is about a fifth of the world’s energy supplies. The strait is only about 21 miles (around 33 km) wide at its narrowest, and the actual shipping channels are much tighter than that, making navigation tricky. International law governs shipping lanes, but Iran controls the northern side while Oman controls the south. Because of its strategic spot, pretty much every major oil exporter in the Gulf relies on this route to reach global markets. Any talk of it being blocked or threatened instantly gets global attention due to its huge economic impact.
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