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Strait of Hormuz blockade and other major naval sieges in modern times

Strait of [Hormuz](/news/2026/4/24/trumps-may-1-deadline-can-he-continue-war-on-iran-after-that), a narrow waterway once carrying roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and gas, remains effectively closed after the United States and Iran imposed competing [blockades](/news/2026/4/14/how-much-will-us-hormuz-blockade-hurt-iran-and-does-tehran-have-an-escape). Naval blockades

UAE exit from OPEC signals closer alignment with US interests, experts say

Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas transits, mostly from Middle East nations to Asia and Europe, continues to be blocked amid the US-Israel war on Iran, sending

Trump’s threat: Why cutting US troops in Europe won’t be easy

conflict, this war against Iran, has a direct impact on our economic output”. On Tuesday, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that Merz “thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon

Iran calls US ship seizure ‘piracy’: Is it?

Strait of Hormuz towards Bandar Abbas. CENTCOM reported: “American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the US blockade.” “After Touska’s crew failed to comply with

Is India’s Chabahar dream in Iran dead?

Strait of Hormuz, January 17, 2012 [Raheb Homavandi/Reuters] ## What’s in Chabahar port for India? In southeastern Iran, perched on the Gulf of Oman, the Chabahar port comprises two terminals: Shahid Kalantari and Shahid Beheshti

The threat to summer holidays looming from jet fuel shortages

Strait of Hormuz having been blocked for the past eight weeks, however, those supplies have not been available, prompting a scramble for fuel produced elsewhere. This has pushed up prices dramatically. In late February, before

Another day, another pivot as Trump flails in an Iran trap of his own making

strait of Hormuz could be possible, but did not give a straight reply on the reported proposal. Tehran has said it wants the blockade to end first, before talking about anything else. The foreign ministry

How Iran war has triggered soaring cost of medicines, condoms

Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies are shipped in peacetime. Experts say this has also disrupted pharmaceutical supply chains, which are reliant

Tensions rise in two ceasefires in the Middle East. And, the Navy secretary ousted

Strait of Hormuz. The move jeopardized potential U.S.-Iran peace talks and came after a senior Iranian official said that Trump's [ceasefire extension "means nothing."](https://www.npr.org/2026/04/22/nx-s1-5795405/iran-middle-east-updates) Meanwhile in Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes killed

Tensions flare near Strait of Hormuz as a ship is seized and another is sunk

conflict. Iran's grip on the vital waterway has jolted the world economy and spiked fuel prices far beyond the Middle East. The ongoing instability in the region comes as U.S. President Donald Trump

As Iran crisis drags on, fears of global food crisis grow

conflict continues into the middle of the year and oil prices remain above $100 a barrel.  A farmer harvests wheat crops in the suburbs of Peshawar, Pakistan

UK seeks closer EU ties in volatile times - but at what cost?

conflict this continent has seen since World War Two, petrol prices are rising, and the global economy is under strain because of knock-on effects of the Iran war. Relations with the UK's former

Spirit Airlines tried to be the Dollar General of the skies. Then the big airlines beat it at its own game

conflict in Iran are an important part of the story of Spirit's current woes. But, as we report [in today's *Planet Money* newsletter](https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money), the story of Spirit and other budget

The nuclear challenge at the heart of Trump's Iran negotiations

Strait of Hormuz in return for the US lifting its blockade on Iranian shipping. While officials say the deal will also lead to the destruction and removal of Iran's enriched uranium stockpiles

From syringes to stents: Iran war exposes NHS dependency on petrochemicals

Iran is likely to have a severe knock-on effect on the NHS. Photograph: Meysam Mirzadeh/Tasnim/AFP/Getty In response, NHS England has increased purchases of drugs and devices to build up buffers. While there

European countries emerge as NATO leaders as U.S. role recedes

conflict](https://www.npr.org/series/1205445976/middle-east-crisis) ### [A rift between Spain and Trump widens over Spanish opposition to the Iran war](https://www.npr.org/2026/03/05/nx-s1-5737285/iran-war-spain-trump) This week, the Pentagon followed through, announcing [plans to withdraw 5,000 U.S. service

Iran War timeline continues to shift. And, jury rules Live Nation acted as monopoly

Hormuz and Iran's closing of the crucial waterway. Oil prices have surged by about 40% since the war began, according to NPR's Aya Batrawy. Ellen Wald, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council

'Monitoring the situation': why young men are drawn to prediction markets

Strait of Hormuz will re-open to who Taylor Swift will choose as her bridesmaids. Like many young men, Cameron is a fan, and mostly uses them to track the price of cryptocurrencies

U.S. strikes Iran. And, immigration courts use new tactic to speed up deportations

Hormuz** within one month and aims for an agreement on Iran's nuclear program within two months. U.S. sanctions are a [key obstacle in these talks](https://one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5834813:x), NPR's Daniel Estrin tells