The World’s Most Important Waterway Is Effectively Shut Down
The Strait of Hormuz — the narrow passage through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply flows every single day — has become the most dangerous waterway on Earth.
Traffic through the strait has plummeted by a staggering 97% since the United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury on February 28, according to United Nations shipping data. What was once a constant stream of supertankers carrying millions of barrels of crude has become a near-empty corridor of mines, drones, and warships.
And on Day 11 of the war, the battle for control of this critical chokepoint just escalated dramatically.
U.S. Central Command Destroys 16 Iranian Mine-Laying Vessels
U.S. Central Command announced Tuesday evening that American forces had attacked and destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz. Video released by CENTCOM shows munitions striking nine of the vessels, most of which were moored at the time of the attack.
President Trump doubled down on the strikes, posting on Truth Social: “If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far.”
The strikes came after CNN reported that Iran had begun actively laying naval mines in the strait — with a few dozen mines deployed in recent days. The IRGC officially confirmed on March 2 that the strait was closed, threatening any ship that attempted to pass through.
Iran’s Mine Warfare Strategy
According to the Robert Strauss Center for International Security and Law at the University of Texas, Iran’s mine-laying campaign serves a dual purpose: causing direct damage to vessels and channeling surviving ships into predetermined lanes more favorable to Iranian forces.
Iran attacked at least 10 ships attempting to traverse the strait in the early days of the crisis. On March 1, the oil tanker Skylight was struck by a projectile north of Khasab, Oman, killing two Indian crew members. Another vessel, the MKD VYOM, was hit by a drone boat, sparking a fire and explosion in its engine room that killed an Indian sailor.
The message was clear: try to sail through, and you do so at your own risk.
Saudi Arabia Reroutes Its Entire Oil Fleet
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively sealed, Saudi Arabia is racing to find alternative routes to get its oil to market. According to Bloomberg, a flotilla of at least 25 supertankers is now heading to the kingdom’s Red Sea port of Yanbu — bypassing the Persian Gulf entirely.
Danish shipping giant Maersk has suspended all vessel crossings in the Strait of Hormuz until further notice, warning of indefinite delays to services calling Persian Gulf ports.
Even ships that do attempt the crossing are going dark. The Shenlong, a Chinese-made vessel operated by Greece’s Dynacom Tankers Management, crossed the strait on Friday with its transponder switched off — only turning it back on as it neared India’s coastline, bound for Mumbai.
The Panama Canal is also seeing a surge in interest, with the canal’s chief touting its logistical capabilities as global shipping desperately reroutes away from the Middle East.
Oil Prices Surge Past $110 — Then the Energy Secretary Made It Worse
Oil prices have rocketed more than 50% since the start of 2026, climbing from around $60 a barrel in January to over $110 as the crisis intensified. Brent crude briefly topped $110 before pulling back on conflicting signals from the Trump administration.
And then Energy Secretary Chris Wright made things even more chaotic.
Wright posted on X that the U.S. Navy had successfully escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz — a claim that, if true, would have been a major breakthrough in reopening the waterway. Oil prices dropped sharply on the news.
There was just one problem: it wasn’t true.
The post was swiftly deleted. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: “The U.S. Navy has not escorted a tanker or a vessel at this time.”
The episode highlighted the confusion swirling inside the administration about one of the war’s most consequential economic fronts.
Trump’s Mixed Signals on the War’s End
President Trump has been sending wildly conflicting signals about where things stand.
In a phone call with CBS News on Monday, he said: “I think the war is very complete, pretty much.” He claimed Iran’s military capabilities had been “wiped out.”
At a press conference later that day — his first since the war began — he said the U.S. was “achieving major strides toward completing our military objective” and warned Iran against disrupting global energy supplies.
But then at a separate event with Republican lawmakers in Miami, he struck a very different tone: “We’ve already won in many ways, but we haven’t won enough. We go forward more determined than ever to achieve ultimate victory.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was more direct at his Pentagon briefing: “Iran stands alone, and they are badly losing on Day 10 of Operation Epic Fury.” He promised Tuesday would bring “the most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes” yet.
The Human Cost Continues to Climb
According to the latest figures from multiple sources:
- 1,300+ killed in Iran — with Iran’s UN ambassador claiming nearly 10,000 civilian sites have been hit, including about 8,000 residential homes
- 570 killed in Lebanon — as Israel intensifies strikes against Hezbollah’s financial infrastructure
- 12 killed in Israel — from Iranian drone and missile strikes
- 7 U.S. soldiers killed, 140 wounded — with 8 severely wounded, the Pentagon confirmed Tuesday
The Pentagon says Iran’s ballistic missile attacks are down more than 90% and drone attacks down approximately 85% since Operation Epic Fury began. But Iran continues to fire drones and rockets across the Gulf region.
Funerals for several top Iranian commanders killed in the U.S.-Israeli strikes are scheduled for Wednesday, according to IRNA, Iran’s state news agency.
What Happens Next
The battle for the Strait of Hormuz may prove to be the most consequential front of this entire conflict. Military dominance means nothing if the global economy buckles under skyrocketing energy prices.
The U.S. has destroyed Iran’s mine-laying capability — but dozens of mines may already be in the water. Clearing them could take weeks or months. And every day the strait remains effectively closed, the economic pressure on the entire world intensifies.
Trump has suggested the U.S. could begin accompanying oil tankers through the strait with Navy escorts. But as the Energy Secretary’s deleted post embarrassingly revealed, that hasn’t happened yet.
The war may be entering a new phase — one where the battlefield isn’t just in the skies over Tehran, but in the narrow waters where the world’s energy supply hangs in the balance.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as the situation evolves.