Iran has announced the temporary closure of sections of the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic gateway to the Persian Gulf. Semi-official Iranian news sources reported live-fire drills on the waterway, which handles about 20% of global oil supplies, according to the Associated Press.
The rare and possibly unprecedented standoff serves as a warning to Iran about possible global economic consequences if the United States follows through on threats of military action amid rising tensions between the two nations.
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In previous periods of tension, Iran has occasionally cut shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. During the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, both nations targeted tankers and other vessels, including using sea mines to temporarily halt traffic altogether.
But Iran has not followed through on repeated threats to close the strait completely since the 1980s, including last year’s 12-day standoff in which Israel and the US struck major Iranian nuclear and military facilities, the AP reported.
Here’s what you should know about the Strait, the drill, what caused the tension and what may happen next.
The Strait of Hormuz is a winding channel that narrows to about 33 kilometers (21 mi) at its narrowest point and connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman.
From there, vessels can reach global sea routes. Although Iran and Oman control parts of the strait’s waters, it is generally considered an international passage open to all ships. Not far from this strategic waterway lies the United Arab Emirates — home to the towering, skyline-filled city of Dubai, the AP reported.
The strait has long been important for trade
Throughout history, the Strait of Hormuz was a key trade route that facilitated the movement of goods such as ceramics, ivory, silk, and textiles from China.
Today, it serves as a key passage for supertankers carrying oil and gas from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE and Iran. Most of this energy flows to Asian markets, including China, which remains Iran’s only significant oil buyer.
While there are pipelines in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that can avoid the passage, the US Energy Information Administration says that “most of the volumes that pass through the strait have no alternative means of exiting the region”.
Threats of this route have driven up global energy prices in the past, including the Israel-Iran wars in June.
Iran’s exercise involves live fire
Amid widespread anti-government protests that began in late December and January, and as the US threatened military action, Iran conducted live-fire drills in the Strait of Hormuz in early February. The country issued an exercise warning to ships but did not close the waterway.
This handout photo released by the official Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) website Sepanews on February 16, 2026 shows a vehicle firing a missile during a military exercise by members of the IRGC and the Navy in the Persian Gulf. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched a series of military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on February 16, state media reported, on the eve of talks with the United States. (Photo: SEPAH NEWS / AFP) (AFP)
Tensions between the Iranian and US navies further escalated on February 4 after a US Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone approaching the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea. Iran also harassed a US-flagged and US-manned merchant ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the US military said.
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On Monday, Iran announced its new military exercise called “Intelligent Control of the Strait of Hormuz.” Marines in the region were warned by radio that “live surface fire” was planned.
US CENTCOM has previously said Iran has “the right to operate professionally in international airspace and waters”, but warned against interfering with or threatening US warships or passing merchant vessels. The command that oversees the US Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain said it would not tolerate actions such as Iranian aircraft or vessels getting too close to or pointing weapons at US warships.
Iran’s supreme leader sharply threatens the US
Tensions between the US and Iran have escalated in recent weeks. US President Donald Trump first threatened military action in response to Iran’s crackdown on protests last month, then focused on using the threat of an attack to pressure Tehran into negotiations over its nuclear program.
The two countries held a new round of indirect nuclear talks in Geneva on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, along with supporting guided-missile destroyers, has been stationed in the Arabian Sea for several weeks, ready to strike if ordered.
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On Friday, Trump announced that the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, was being dispatched from the Caribbean to join the US military buildup in the region.
Iran has warned it could launch its own pre-emptive strike or target US interests in the Middle East and Israel. While Iran launched ballistic missiles and Israel targeted its stockpiles during the 12-day war, Tehran has an arsenal of short- and medium-range missiles that could hit the surrounding Arab states of the Persian Gulf.
On Tuesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned the US that “the strongest army in the world may sometimes be slapped so hard that it cannot stand on its feet.”
“A warship is of course a dangerous apparatus, but more dangerous than a warship is a weapon that can sink a warship into the depths of the sea,” Khamenei said, according to Iranian state television.