Strait of Hormuz blocked, oil flows diverted: Is there a way out?

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 12, 2026 06:43 PM IST

The Islamic Republic has announced that it has shut Hormuz after the renewed fighting in the region with Washington. (AI Generated Image)

US and Iranian forces continued to exchange missile and drone assaults on Sunday after Washington attacked Tehran over an Iranian strike on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz that set the vessel ablaze and forced the crew to abandon it.

The Islamic Republic has announced that it has shut Hormuz after the renewed fighting in the region with Washington. A series of attacks between the two nations led US President Donald Trump to declare an end to the ceasefire signed in April to halt the fighting that began with the US-Israel joint attack on February 28.

Regional retaliation and conflicting transit reports

Iran has responded to US attacks by targeting several countries in the Gulf region, including Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman.

However, reports have indicated that the Strait of Hormuz has remained open in the Omani “southern route” for two-way traffic, despite claims by Tehran’s military that the strategic waterway has been shut.

Maritime monitoring body confirms route availability

According to the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), an organisation that the US Navy oversees, “US forces are prepared to maintain freedom of navigation and safeguard lawful commerce in accordance with international law. The southern route of the Strait remains open,” CNN reported.

The Strait of Hormuz is open to all vessels seeking to lawfully transit the international waterway. U.S. forces are positioned and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available despite unwarranted Iranian aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary… pic.twitter.com/FS3TUBOZEj

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 12, 2026

Elevated risk warnings persist despite passage options

The JMIC, however, added that despite the southern route of Hormuz being open for traffic from the Omani side, the threat level in the waterway remains “severe.”

CENTCOM rejects Tehran’s border control declarations

The US Central Command on Sunday declared that Hormuz is open for all vessels to lawfully transit the strategic waterway amid Iran’s announcement that it has shut the critical waterway.

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In a post on X, the US military wrote, “US forces are positioned and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available despite unwarranted Iranian aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary declarations. Iran does not control the strait.”

IRGC enforces closure via aggressive warning maneuvers

The strait was closed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) after firing a warning shot at a vessel attempting to cross the Hormuz allegedly from an “unauthorised route”.

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Strait of Hormuz

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