Is the Strait of Hormuz open today?

Wednesday, October 7, 2026 · what each side reported in the last 72 hours, attributed, and the oil market's reaction.

Iran's Central Bank Governor asserts the economy is functioning despite halted oil exports, while US officials predict its collapse.

Iranian outlets

Democratic lawmakers are urging the U.S. Department of Energy to take action against rising energy costs linked to Trump's policies, which have caused a significant increase in heating oil prices. This situation is critical as winter approaches, impacting many Americans. [ISNA]

International wires

International wires report Brent crude prices rising due to a US storm threat and Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, alongside increased Middle East crude shipments and a pickup in Iranian attacks in Hormuz. US Vice President Vance acknowledged Iranian attacks but stated they were 'not enough to stop the flow of oil and gas'.

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🛢 Brent crude: $101.43 +0.6% since yesterday · Iran oil news

Iranian outlets say

Iranian Official Asserts Strait of Hormuz Status Not Influenced by Trump's Social Media
IRNA — Iran's official state news agency · 2 hours ago

Iran's Unyielding Control Over the Strait of Hormuz: Implications for Global Politics
Tehran Times — a state-owned English-language Iranian daily · 10 hours ago

US Fuel Prices Indicate Status of Strait of Hormuz, Says Iranian Deputy Speaker
Mehr — a semi-official Iranian news agency · 10 hours ago

Axis of Resistance Gains Traction: The Strategic Role of the Strait of Hormuz
Tehran Times — a state-owned English-language Iranian daily · 15 hours ago

International wires say

IRGC Orders Tanker to Turn Back in Hormuz, Threatens Military Action
Google Iran · 2 days ago

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Intercept Tanker in Strait of Hormuz
Google Iran · 2 days ago

Iran's IRGC Targets Seven Oil Tankers in Hormuz Strait Over Violations
Google Iran · 3 days ago

Iran's IRGC Attacks Seven Tankers in Strait of Hormuz Over Five Days
Google Iran · 3 days ago

Houthis Attack Aramco as Iran Controls Hormuz: Market Implications for Oil and Currency
Google Iran · 2 days ago

Strait of Hormuz: interactive map

Click any marker. Layers: Strategic points Bases, fleets & ports Islands & disputes Oil terminals & bypass pipelines

Loading map…

Shipping lanes are drawn schematically from the IMO traffic separation scheme; positions of bases and terminals are approximate. Shapes: Natural Earth via world-atlas. Sources: UNCLOS and IMO (lanes), EIA (pipeline capacities), published naval and port references.

What has happened here: incidents in and around the strait, last 12 months

October 2026 (60)

Oct 7 Police Commander of Minab Reports: Seizure of 15 Vehicles and Discovery of 3,000 Liters of Smuggled Gasoline in Minab — ISNA — a semi-official Iranian news agency (Iranian Students News Agency)

Oct 7 Bitcoin Falls as Oil Prices Surge Following Attacks on Iranian Tankers — Google Iran

Oct 7 Head of Industry, Mine and Trade in South Kerman: Necessary Warnings and Notices Were Given to the Bidouyeh Chromite Mine in Faryab — ISNA — a semi-official Iranian news agency (Iranian Students News Agency)

Oct 7 Oman Evacuates Injured Indian Crew from Attacked Tanker in Strategic Strait of Hormuz — Al Jazeera

Oct 7 Iranian Official Asserts Strait of Hormuz Status Not Influenced by Trump's Social Media — IRNA — Iran's official state news agency

Oct 7 Singapore's Foreign Minister: Hormuz Disruption is an Asian Concern, Trump Partially Right — Google Iran

Oct 7 Syria's Embassy in Berlin Returns Passport Seized by Assad Government After 43 Years — Al Jazeera

Oct 7 Iran's Attacks in Hormuz Threaten Fragile Oil Export Recovery — Bing Iran

Oct 7 Iran's Attacks in Hormuz Endanger Oil Export Recovery — Google Iran

Oct 7 Trump's Strange Claim About the Resignation of Iran's Oil Minister and the Strait of Hormuz — Donya-e-Eqtesad — a private Iranian economic daily

Oct 6 Crude Oil Prices Surge Amid Increased Iranian Military Activity in Hormuz — Google Iran

Oct 6 Iran's Unyielding Control Over the Strait of Hormuz: Implications for Global Politics — Tehran Times — a state-owned English-language Iranian daily

Oct 6 Bioluminescent Creatures Illuminate the Deep Ocean Off Australia's Coast — Phys.org

Oct 6 US Fuel Prices Indicate Status of Strait of Hormuz, Says Iranian Deputy Speaker — Mehr — a semi-official Iranian news agency

Oct 6 Iran Intensifies Maritime Attacks in Hormuz Amid Rising Oil and Gas Exports — Google Iran

Oct 6 Iranian Forces Raid Rooms of Slain Protesters, Seizing Personal Belongings — Google Iran

Oct 6 IRGC Claims US Warships Have Retreated Over 1,000 km from Iranian Waters — Iran Herald

Oct 6 Axis of Resistance Gains Traction: The Strategic Role of the Strait of Hormuz — Tehran Times — a state-owned English-language Iranian daily

Oct 6 Surge in Gulf Oil Exports Amid Rising Attacks in Strait of Hormuz — Al Jazeera

Oct 6 Increased Iranian Tanker Attacks Threaten Rebounding Oil Exports Through Strait of Hormuz — Google Iran

Oct 6 Iran Declares Hormuz Closure Until US Meets Conditions — Google Iran

Oct 6 Iran Attacks Sinokor VLCCs in Strait of Hormuz, Security Firm Reports — Google Iran

Oct 6 Iran Dismisses US Talks as 'Meaningless' Amidst Third Tanker Attack Near Hormuz — Google Iran

Oct 6 The Strategic Importance of the Strait of Hormuz Amidst Rising Tensions — Google Iran

Oct 6 Maran Gas LNG Carrier Struck Near Strait of Hormuz Amid Rising Iranian Attacks — Google Iran

Oct 6 Assessing Iran's Diminished Control Over the Strait of Hormuz — Google Iran

Oct 6 South Korea seeks North Korea's apology for DMZ mine explosion — Al Jazeera

Oct 6 Iranian Security Forces Raid Homes of Slain Protesters, Seizing Personal Belongings — Bing Iran

Oct 6 US Blockade Causes Bottleneck for Iranian Tankers, Nonprofit Reports — Google Iran

Oct 6 Iran Asserts Control Over Hormuz as Rial Plummets and Exports Decline — Bing Iran

Oct 6 Iranian President Calls US Talks 'Meaningless' Amid Tanker Attacks — Bing Iran

Oct 6 Geopolitical Tensions in the Persian Gulf: The Impact of Geography on Global Trade — NYT Iran

Oct 5 Seven Oil Tankers Attacked in Strait of Hormuz Amid Concerns Over Iran's Targeting Capabilities — Google Iran

Oct 5 A Tanker Targeted in the Strait of Hormuz — Donya-e-Eqtesad — a private Iranian economic daily

Oct 5 Iran Declares Closure of Strait of Hormuz Until U.S. Meets Agreement Conditions — Bing Iran

Oct 5 Trump's New Claim About Gas Prices and the Strait of Hormuz — Donya-e-Eqtesad — a private Iranian economic daily

Oct 5 Discrepancies in US Claims About the Strait of Hormuz's Accessibility — Tehran Times — a state-owned English-language Iranian daily

Oct 5 Tanker Changes Course in Strait of Hormuz Amid Iranian Attack Threat — Google Iran

Oct 5 Swedish Analyst: Iran Continues to Receive Protection Fees for Passage Through the Strait of Hormuz — Donya-e-Eqtesad — a private Iranian economic daily

Oct 5 Iran's Toll on Oil Traffic Through Hormuz: A New Economic Strategy? — Google Iran

Oct 5 Iran Considers Toll for Oil Traffic Through Hormuz Strait — Google Iran

Oct 5 Attack on a Gas Carrier and an Oil Tanker in the Strait of Hormuz — Donya-e-Eqtesad — a private Iranian economic daily

Oct 5 Iran Reinforces Its Demands Over the Strait of Hormuz — Google Iran

Oct 5 Iran Declares Continued Closure of Strait of Hormuz — Google Iran

Oct 5 Iran Reinforces Demands in the Strait of Hormuz Amid Rising Tensions — Bing Iran

Oct 5 Iran's Influence Over the Strait of Hormuz Remains Intact — Tehran Times — a state-owned English-language Iranian daily

Oct 5 Iran Advocates for Regional Security Cooperation in Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz — IRNA — Iran's official state news agency

Oct 5 Is Iran Imposing a Secret Toll on Oil Traffic Through the Strait of Hormuz? — Al Jazeera

Oct 5 Houthis Attack Aramco as Iran Controls Hormuz: Market Implications for Oil and Currency — Google Iran

Oct 5 Correspondence for the Release of the Iranian Plane Seized in Turkey — Donya-e-Eqtesad — a private Iranian economic daily

Oct 5 Iran Reaffirms Control Over Hormuz Amid Economic Crisis and Record Low Rial — Google Iran

Oct 5 Iran's One-Week Initiative to Reopen the Strait of Hormuz — Tehran Times — a state-owned English-language Iranian daily

Oct 5 Iran Reaffirms Control Over Hormuz as Currency Plummets and Exports Decline — Google Iran

Oct 5 Iran Proposes Toll for Hormuz Strait: Implications for U.S. Policy — Google Iran

Oct 5 Iran's Revolutionary Guards Intercept Tanker in Strait of Hormuz — Google Iran

Oct 5 Mine Collapse in This Region of Iran / 2 People Trapped Under Rubble — Donya-e-Eqtesad — a private Iranian economic daily

Oct 5 Iran Official Warns Starlink Could Undermine Government Control of Cyberspace — Bing Iran

Oct 5 IRGC Orders Tanker to Turn Back in Hormuz, Threatens Military Action — Google Iran

Oct 5 Iran's IRGC Forces Tanker Near Oman to Turn Back — Mehr — a semi-official Iranian news agency

Oct 5 Resurgence of Attacks on Ships Amid Increased Oil Exports from Hormuz — Google Iran

● Iranian state / state-linked outlet · ● international or independent outlet. Each item is that outlet's account.

Static reference maps (OpenStreetMap; CIA 2009)

Map of the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman's Musandam peninsula, with Bandar Abbas, Qeshm, Larak and Hormuz islands and the Persian Gulf to the west — Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).

2009 CIA map of the Strait of Hormuz showing shipping lanes, Iranian and Omani coasts and the islands — CIA, 2009, public domain.

How far is the strait from the bases and ports that matter?

Straight-line (great-circle) distances from the narrowest point of the strait. Sailing distances are longer.

Place	km	nautical miles	What it is
Khasab, Musandam (Oman)	46	25	Omani shore of the narrowest point
Bandar Abbas (Iran)	70	38	IRGC Navy and Iranian Navy headquarters
Fujairah (UAE)	161	87	Bunkering port on the Gulf of Oman, outside the strait; end of the UAE bypass pipeline
Jask (Iran)	166	90	Iranian naval base and oil terminal on the Gulf of Oman, outside the strait
Jebel Ali (UAE)	222	120	Largest port in the Gulf; frequent US Navy port calls
Al Dhafra Air Base (UAE)	320	173	US Air Force base
Al Udeid Air Base (Qatar)	538	290	US CENTCOM forward headquarters
Naval Support Activity Bahrain	583	315	US Fifth Fleet headquarters
Ras Tanura (Saudi Arabia)	625	337	Largest Saudi oil export terminal
Kharg Island (Iran)	671	362	Terminal for most of Iran's crude exports
Duqm (Oman)	780	421	Port with UK and US naval access, outside the Gulf
Camp Arifjan (Kuwait)	856	462	US Army base
Camp Lemonnier (Djibouti)	2,173	1,173	US base at the Red Sea exit
Incirlik Air Base (Turkey)	2,293	1,238	NATO air base
Souda Bay (Crete, Greece)	3,217	1,737	NATO naval base
Diego Garcia	4,141	2,236	UK/US base in the Indian Ocean

Incidents in and around the strait (seizures, drone and missile strikes, mine reports) appear in the military brief and the claims tracker, with each side's account.

Strait of Hormuz: the facts

Is the Strait of Hormuz open right now?

Artesh does not issue its own verdict. The status box at the top of this page shows what Iranian outlets and international wires reported in the last three days, each attributed to its source, and the oil market's reaction. When the two sides contradict each other, both claims are shown.

How wide is the Strait of Hormuz?

About 21 nautical miles (39 km) at its narrowest point, between Iran and Oman's Musandam peninsula. Ships use two shipping lanes, each about 2 nautical miles wide, separated by a 2-mile buffer zone, so the usable channel is far narrower than the strait itself.

How much oil goes through the Strait of Hormuz?

Roughly a fifth of the oil the world consumes. The US Energy Information Administration estimated flows of about 20 million barrels a day of crude and refined products in 2023, plus about a fifth of global liquefied natural gas trade, mostly from Qatar.

Who controls the Strait of Hormuz?

No one country does. The strait lies within the territorial waters of Iran to the north and Oman to the south, but international law gives ships the right of "transit passage" through it. Iran has signed but not ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and has at times claimed the right to control passage; the US Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, patrols the Gulf.

Why is the Strait of Hormuz important?

It is the only sea route out of the Persian Gulf for the oil of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Iran itself. Only Saudi Arabia and the UAE have pipelines that bypass it, with limited capacity. Any disruption moves the world oil price within hours.

Has Iran ever closed the Strait of Hormuz?

Iran has threatened to close it many times and has seized or harassed ships in and near it, but has never fully closed the strait for a sustained period. Closing it would also stop Iran's own oil exports, most of which leave from Kharg Island inside the Gulf. Each incident is covered, with both sides' accounts, in Artesh's military and oil & gas briefs.

Where is the Strait of Hormuz?

Between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, at the south-eastern corner of the Gulf, with Iran to the north and the Musandam peninsula of Oman to the south. It is about 170 km long and opens into the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Is the Strait of Hormuz international waters?

No. It is narrow enough that the whole strait lies within the 12-mile territorial seas of Iran and Oman. Ships may pass under the "transit passage" regime of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which both coastal states are expected to respect, but there are no high seas in the strait itself.

Which countries border the Strait of Hormuz?

Iran on the northern shore, and Oman (its Musandam exclave) and the United Arab Emirates on the southern shore.

Facts in the FAQ are from the US Energy Information Administration (flows), the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (transit passage) and standard references on the strait's geography. Daily reporting is attributed to the outlet that published it and is not independently verified by Artesh.