Maritime Chokepoints Ignite As U.S Blockade & Iranian Retaliation Strain Global Shipping

The war in West Asia between the United States and Iran has converged on the world’s most critical energy waterways.

The reimposition of the U.S. naval blockade and Iranian retaliatory threats to shut down global shipping corridors have thrown maritime traffic into chaos.

The Strait of Hormuz has become the primary theatre of war.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared full control over the waterway, vowing that no oil or gas exports will be permitted through the strait as long as U.S. attacks continue.

In response, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has enforced a renewed naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman.

Over the last 24 hours, U.S. forces intercepted multiple ships, redirecting three commercial vessels, disabling one non-compliant ship, and boarding another.

U.S. forces also struck an empty oil tanker bound for Kharg Island, which handles 90% of Iranian oil exports.

Meanwhile, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that another tanker was struck by an unknown projectile 35 kilometres east of Khasab, Oman, signalling an increasingly perilous environment for seafarers.

U.S. airstrikes also targeted Iran’s vital bridges near Bandar-e Khamir and Bandar Abbas, while hitting 10 targets across Qeshm Island, Bushehr, and Ahvaz.

A third round of strikes hit the maritime control tower at Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman, a key trade hub developed with Indian support.

U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth shared images of the destruction to assert American control over the approach to the strait.

Tehran retaliated by launching missile strikes against the U.S. Fifth Naval Base in Bahrain and targeting a U.S. maritime surveillance radar located in Oman.

With Persian Gulf traffic drying up, Iran threatened to expand the naval war by pushing its Houthi allies in Yemen to block the Bab al-Mandeb Strait at the mouth of the Red Sea.

The threat of a dual-chokepoint closure caused Brent crude to jump to $84.38 per barrel.

Amid the maritime escalation, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar held emergency talks in Shanghai, urgently calling for a ceasefire.

Iranian state media reported that 8 people have died and around 20 have been wounded due to U.S strikes.