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Strait of Hormuz tracker — tanker seizures, attacks on ships and Gulf shipping

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Every reported tanker seizure, attack on a ship, mine, naval escort and transit disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman — the chokepoint for about a fifth of the world’s oil — with Iran, the US Navy and the Gulf states — collected from 310+ graded news outlets and government sources, in one place. Latest: “Japan's Inpex stays committed to Middle East oil despite Hormuz disruption” (The National, 2h ago).

▸ Live mapUS–Iran war liveMiddle East on WP Wire
Last reported shipping incident
Mine
Nov 9, 2026 · 18h ago · 1 outlets
Incidents logged · 30 days
2
2+ outlets or an A/B outlet
Headlines · 72 hours
28
from 23 outlets

Shipping incident log

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Nov 9, 2026MineFour tankers catch fire in Strait of Hormuz after mine strikes, Iran says
BNE INTELLINEWS1 outlet
Nov 8, 2026Attack on a shipUS military says it fired on commercial vessel in Gulf of Oman after it attempted to breach blockade
AP7 outlets

Built automatically from headlines that say a ship was seized, boarded, attacked, hit or mined, that navies escorted ships, or that transits were halted, shut or disrupted — one row per day and incident type. Threats, “could close”, denials, tallies and oil-price stories are left out. Who carried out an attack is as the headline attributes it. Faded rows come from a single outlet that is not A/B graded.

Tanker wars and seizures — the record

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How pressure on Gulf shipping has escalated in the past — the ladder below is WARNPOINT’s reading guide, and every example is a documented case.

  1. 1
    Threats & harassmentThreats to close the strait; fast boats shadowing or approaching merchant ships and warships.
  2. 2
    InterferenceGPS jamming and AIS spoofing, orders to divert, warning shots.
  3. 3
    SeizureA ship boarded by commandos from boats or helicopters and taken to an Iranian port with its crew.
  4. 4
    AttackLimpet mines, drones or missiles against merchant ships; downing of military aircraft.
  5. 5
    War at seaSustained attacks on shipping, naval combat, transits halted — the 1980s Tanker War.

Latest from the strait

Past incidents — examples

  • 1
    Closure vote Jun 22, 2025

    After US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Iranian state media report that parliament backed closing the strait, leaving the decision to the Supreme National Security Council.

  • 3
    MSC Aries Apr 13, 2024

    IRGC commandos board the Portuguese-flagged container ship by helicopter near the strait; Iran links the ship to Israel.

  • 3
    St Nikolas Jan 11, 2024

    Iran’s navy seizes the tanker, formerly the Suez Rajan, whose Iranian oil cargo the US had confiscated in 2023.

  • 3
    Niovi May 3, 2023

    The IRGC seizes the Panama-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.

  • 3
    Advantage Sweet Apr 27, 2023

    Iran’s navy seizes the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker in the Gulf of Oman; Iran says it collided with an Iranian boat.

  • 4
    Mercer Street Jul 29, 2021

    A drone attack on an Israeli-linked tanker off Oman kills two crew, one British and one Romanian; the US, UK and Israel blame Iran, which denies it.

  • 3
    Stena Impero Jul 19, 2019

    The IRGC seizes the British-flagged tanker in the strait, two weeks after Gibraltar detained the Iranian tanker Grace 1; it is released on 27 September.

  • 4
    US drone shot down Jun 20, 2019

    Iran shoots down a US Navy RQ-4 Global Hawk; Iran says it was over Iranian territory, the US says international airspace.

  • 4
    Gulf of Oman tankers Jun 13, 2019

    The Front Altair and Kokuka Courageous are hit by explosions; the US blames Iran, which denies it.

  • 4
    Fujairah sabotage May 12, 2019

    Four tankers are damaged by explosions off Fujairah; the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Norway tell the UN a “state actor” was likely behind it. Iran denies involvement.

  • 5
    Iran Air Flight 655 Jul 3, 1988

    The USS Vincennes shoots down an Iranian airliner over the strait, killing all 290 aboard; the US says the crew mistook it for a fighter jet.

  • 5
    USS Samuel B. Roberts mined Apr 14, 1988

    A US frigate is badly damaged by an Iranian mine; four days later the US strikes Iranian oil platforms and warships in Operation Praying Mantis.

  • 4
    Bridgeton hits a mine Jul 24, 1987

    The reflagged Kuwaiti supertanker Bridgeton strikes a mine on the first US-escorted convoy of Operation Earnest Will.

  • 5
    The Tanker War 1984

    Iraq and Iran attack each other’s oil exports and the tankers carrying them during the Iran–Iraq war; hundreds of merchant ships are hit by 1988.

Chokepoint facts

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MeasureFigureSource
Narrowest width≈21 miles (≈33 km)US EIA
Shipping lanesOne inbound and one outbound, each ≈2 miles wideUS EIA
Oil through the strait≈20 million barrels a day (2024)US EIA, 2025
Share of world oil consumption≈20% of petroleum liquids (2024)US EIA, 2025
Share of world LNG trade≈20%, mostly Qatari (2024)US EIA
Main buyersAsia — China, India, Japan and South Korea take most of the crudeUS EIA
Unused bypass pipeline capacity≈2.6 million barrels a day (Saudi Arabia + UAE)US EIA estimate

Figures are US Energy Information Administration estimates for the year shown.

Latest Strait of Hormuz headlines

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Seizures & attacks on ships

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Navies, escorts & military

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Oil, LNG & shipping markets

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Iran, the US & diplomacy

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Timeline · key moments

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  1. Jun 22, 2025US strikes Iranian nuclear sites; Iranian state media report a parliamentary vote backing closure of the strait
  2. Apr 13, 2024IRGC seizes the container ship MSC Aries near the strait
  3. Apr 27, 2023Iran seizes the tanker Advantage Sweet; the Niovi follows on 3 May
  4. Jul 29, 2021Drone attack on the tanker Mercer Street off Oman kills two crew
  5. Jan 2020European-led maritime mission EMASoH (Operation Agenor) launched
  6. Nov 2019US-led International Maritime Security Construct begins operations from Bahrain
  7. Jul 19, 2019IRGC seizes the British-flagged tanker Stena Impero
  8. May 8, 2018US withdraws from the Iran nuclear deal and reimposes sanctions
  9. Jan 12, 2016IRGC Navy detains 10 US sailors near Farsi Island in the Gulf; released the next day
  10. Jul 1, 2012EU oil embargo on Iran takes effect
  11. Aug 20, 1988Iran–Iraq ceasefire ends the Tanker War
  12. Jul 3, 1988USS Vincennes shoots down Iran Air Flight 655 over the strait; 290 killed
  13. Apr 18, 1988Operation Praying Mantis: US strikes Iranian oil platforms and warships after the USS Samuel B. Roberts hits a mine
  14. Jul 1987US Operation Earnest Will: reflagged Kuwaiti tankers sail under US Navy escort
  15. 1984Tanker War: Iraq and Iran begin attacking Gulf shipping
  16. Sep 1980Iran–Iraq war begins

Key facts

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Location
Between Iran to the north and Oman’s Musandam peninsula to the south, linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea
Oil
About 20 million barrels a day passed through in 2024 — roughly a fifth of world petroleum liquids consumption (EIA, 2025)
LNG
About a fifth of world LNG trade, mostly from Qatar (EIA, 2024)
Bypass pipelines
Saudi Arabia’s East–West pipeline to the Red Sea and the UAE’s Habshan–Fujairah line to the Gulf of Oman (EIA)
Navies
The US Fifth Fleet is headquartered in Bahrain; Iran has a regular navy and the IRGC Navy, which has carried out most seizures of merchant ships
Islands
Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs, held by Iran since 1971 and claimed by the UAE
Incident reports
UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and the US-led Joint Maritime Information Center issue the first public notices of incidents

Specialist sources

Questions people ask

Are ships being attacked or seized in the Strait of Hormuz right now?

WARNPOINT’s most recent logged shipping incident is mine on Nov 9, 2026 (“Four tankers catch fire in Strait of Hormuz after mine strikes, Iran says”, reported by 1 outlet). 2 logged in the last 30 days. The log updates every 15 minutes from 310+ news sources.

How much oil goes through the Strait of Hormuz?

About 20 million barrels a day in 2024 — roughly a fifth of world petroleum liquids consumption — according to the US Energy Information Administration. Most of the crude goes to Asia: China, India, Japan and South Korea. About a fifth of world LNG trade, mostly from Qatar, also passes through.

How wide is the Strait of Hormuz?

About 21 miles (33 km) at its narrowest. Ships use two lanes, one in each direction, each about 2 miles wide.

Can oil bypass the Strait of Hormuz?

Only partly. Saudi Arabia’s East–West pipeline to the Red Sea and the UAE’s Habshan–Fujairah pipeline can carry some crude around the strait; the EIA estimated about 2.6 million barrels a day of unused capacity — a fraction of normal flows. Qatar’s and Kuwait’s exports have no bypass.

Why has Iran seized tankers in the Strait of Hormuz?

Iran has seized ships during disputes over sanctions and cargoes — the Stena Impero in 2019, two weeks after Gibraltar detained an Iranian tanker; the Advantage Sweet and the Niovi in 2023; the St Nikolas in January 2024, whose cargo the US had confiscated; and the MSC Aries in April 2024, which Iran linked to Israel. Iran usually cites a legal reason, such as a collision or smuggling.

Where does this information come from?

From 310+ news outlets WARNPOINT reads around the clock — including gCaptain, Splash247, Maritime Executive, Naval News and international wires — each graded for reliability. Iranian state media (IRNA, Press TV, Tasnim, Fars) is graded S and labelled; Iranian and US accounts of the same incident are attributed to each side. Incident locations at sea credit no country’s score. Nothing on this page is AI-written.

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