Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz has jolted the world economy, causing a spike in fuel prices that has rippled through other sectors with effects far beyond the Middle East. It has also left tens of thousands of mariners and hundreds of ships stranded in the Persian Gulf.
Iran effectively seized control of the critical waterway after the U.S. and Israel attacked it on Feb. 28. Weeks of heavy bombing and a U.S. naval blockade imposed last month have yet to loosen its grip. Iran says it will only reopen the strait if the war ends and the blockade is lifted. U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking wider concessions, including the rollback of Iran’s disputed nuclear program.
Here is a look at the strait by the numbers:
21 miles (34 kilometers)
This is the width of the strait, which bends like an elbow, at its narrowest point between Iran and Oman. Ships follow narrow lanes to safely navigate the shallow water, making it even more of a chokepoint.
20%
Before the war, a fifth of the world’s traded oil typically flowed through the strait every day, as well as large supplies of natural gas, fertilizer and other petroleum products.
100-130
The number of ships that passed through the strait each day before the war began, including oil tankers and cargo ships, according to research firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence.
534
The number of ships that are believed to have passed through the strait from the start of hostilities through May 4, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence. Many are believed to have carried Iranian oil. In normal times, an estimated 6,500 to 8,450 ships would have transited the strait during the same period.
50%
The amount that the average price of gas in the U.S. has risen since the war began. The average price of a gallon was $4.56 on Thursday, according to AAA. The closure of the strait has also nearly doubled the cost of jet fuel.
Up to 10%
Insurance rates for ships have skyrocketed from 1% of the ship’s goods up to as much as 10%, according to shipping experts.
45 million
The number of people who could experience hunger, mostly in Asia and Africa, if the strait does not open soon, according to the U.N. World Food Program. The blocking of fuel and fertilizer shipments could soon push the price of food and other necessities out of reach for those already in a precarious situation, it said.
10
The number of mariners who have been killed since the Iran war began, according to the U.N.’s International Maritime Organization.
32
The number of ships that have come under attack, according to the International Maritime Organization.
1,550
The number of vessels, from 87 countries, currently stranded in the Persian Gulf, according to the U.S. military.
22,500
The number of mariners stranded on these ships, including many from South and Southeast Asia.
15,000
The number of U.S. soldiers, accompanied by 100 aircraft, committed to enforce Project Freedom, according to the U.S. military. Trump’s initiative to guide ships through the strait was paused on Tuesday, just two days after he announced it.
2
The number of ships that the U.S. said it successfully guided through the strait as part of Project Freedom. ___
Associated Press writer David McHugh in Frankfurt, Germany, contributed.