Matthew P. Funaiole, Harrison Prétat, Aidan Powers-Riggs, and Jasper Verschuur
Access to the Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly a quarter of global oil flows, remains contested. The waterway has been effectively closed since March 2, following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. Although Tehran declared the strait open on April 17, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reversed course and announced it shut just one day later. The United States has since moved to enforce its own presence, including by seizing an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel on April 19. Vessel tracking and maritime trade data offer key insights into the ongoing dispute.
Since the conflict in Iran began, hundreds of tankers have been stranded in the Persian Gulf. After Iran’s foreign minister announced the reopening on April 17, dozens of vessels surged toward the Strait of Hormuz, trying to exit. Automatic identification system (AIS) data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence shows that most quickly reversed course and remain stuck in the Persian Gulf, but at least 13 tankers made it through.
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