Global shipping has been thrown into turmoil after Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed and unleashed a wave of drone and missile strikes across the Arabian Gulf, following the killing of its Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, in a joint United States–Israel attack.
Tehran’s retaliation marks one of the gravest escalations in Middle Eastern tensions for decades. The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow maritime chokepoint between Oman and Iran, carries roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply and a substantial proportion of global liquefied natural gas exports. Any disruption to traffic through the passage has immediate and far-reaching consequences for energy markets, supply chains and insurance costs worldwide.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a British naval liaison body monitoring commercial shipping in the region, reported receiving multiple accounts from Company Security Officers aboard vessels operating in the Persian Gulf. According to those reports, Iranian authorities broadcast messages over VHF Channel 16 declaring that the Strait of Hormuz was closed and that no vessel was permitted to transit the waterway.
Shipping companies have reacted swiftly. Several vessels preparing to exit the Gulf have reportedly turned back, while others have altered course before entering the Strait. The threat is being treated as credible and immediate.
On Saturday, maritime intelligence provider Skytek stated on social media that more than 100 container ships, 450 oil and gas tankers and 200 bulk carriers were inside the Strait at the time of its assessment. The sheer concentration of commercial traffic underscores the scale of disruption should the closure be enforced militarily.
Major tanker owners, oil companies and commodity trading houses are suspending shipments through the waterway. Three of the world’s leading container lines have publicly halted transits. Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd confirmed they were suspending all vessel movements through the Strait of Hormuz until further notice. CMA CGM announced that all vessels inside or bound for the Persian Gulf had been instructed with immediate effect to seek shelter.
The crisis intensified on Sunday when Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vowed to launch what it described as the “most ferocious” operation in its history against Israel and United States bases in the region. Strikes that day reportedly included targets in the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
Authorities in Dubai confirmed that debris from the aerial interception of an incoming drone caused a fire at one of the berths at Jebel Ali Port, the Middle East’s largest container port. Operations at the affected berth were suspended. Dubai Civil Defence teams responded immediately and no injuries were reported, according to the Dubai Media Office.
In Oman, facilities at the Port of Duqm were also targeted by Iranian drones. One drone reportedly struck workers’ accommodation, injuring an expatriate worker, while another fell near fuel storage tanks, heightening fears of a potentially catastrophic blaze.
Oman’s Maritime Security Centre said that the Palau-flagged oil tanker Skylight was attacked five nautical miles north of Khasab Port. The vessel’s 20 crew members, comprising 15 Indian nationals and five Iranians, were evacuated. Four sustained varying degrees of injury and were transferred for medical treatment.
The Strait of Hormuz has long been a flashpoint in regional rivalries. Iran has periodically threatened to close it in response to sanctions or military pressure, yet an outright attempt to enforce such a shutdown would represent a dramatic escalation, likely drawing in further international naval forces already present in the Gulf.
Energy markets are braced for volatility, while marine insurers face soaring risk calculations. For shipowners and charterers, the decision to sail or shelter now carries profound financial and security implications. As war rhetoric hardens and military exchanges intensify, the world’s most vital shipping artery stands perilously close to paralysis.