PU 36: Dire Straits of Hormuz

Part of the Persian Gulf and the Straits of Hormuz, captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer — MODIS — on board of the Aqua satellite on 28 November 2007 (NASA)

The Straits of Hormuz are closed, blocking about 20% of oil shipments from reaching the global economy. But what does closed actually mean?

Punching Upwards, Episode 36 for 17 May 2026

Topics: Politics / War in Iran

🦉 No AI Content 📢 Podcast RSS Feed

Routes through the Straits of Hormuz according to the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS)

Routes through the Straits of Hormuz according to the BBC (BBC)

Credits

Thanks to Michael Mullan-Jensen, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Vlad A Gouf, Fadi Mansour, Bennet Piater, Eric and Sir Galteran for supporting this podcast financially and therefore making it possible for me to produce it!

See Also

• Punching Upwards 30: Aviation and the War in Iran

• Punching Upwards 26: Trump Falls Into the Smart Bomb Trap

Sources

1. Confusion in the Strait of Hormuz, BBC World at One, 4 May 2026

2. Tensions flare near Strait of Hormuz as one ship is seized and another is sunk, PBS News, 15 May 2026

3. Trump pauses Hormuz plan 50 hours after he announced it - what happened?, The BBC, 6 May 2026

4. Two India-bound LPG carriers exit Hormuz as BRICS gathers in New Delhi, Lloyd’s List, 15 May 2026

5. Report: Vessel Captured off Fujairah is a Floating Armory, The Maritime Executive, 14 May 2026

6. Chinese oil tanker exits Strait of Hormuz, heads for Zhoushan, data shows, Reuters, 13 May 2026

7. Russian superyacht sails through Strait of Hormuz despite blockade, The BBC, 28 April 2026

8. Tui Cruises says two of its ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters, 19 April 2026

9. Trump administration underestimated Iran war’s impact on Strait of Hormuz, CNN, 13 March 2026

10. Iran begins laying mines in Strait of Hormuz, sources say, CNN, 10 March 2026

11. Report: Two Types of Iranian Mines Detected in Strait of Hormuz, The Maritime Executive, 23 March 2026

12. Maham 3 Seamine, Collective Awareness to UXO, undated

13. Maham 7 Limpet Mine, Collective Awareness to UXO, undated

14. The Strait of Hormuz in 8 Charts, Center for Strategic & International Studies, 22 April 2026

15. There’s another big reason why shipping companies and insurers aren’t willing to risk the Strait of Hormuz, CNBC, 9 March 2026

16. Iran threatens to close Strait of Hormuz over EU oil sanctions, The Telegraph, 23 January 2012

17. West displays Gulf military power to defiant Iran, The Seattle Times, 25 January 2012

The theme music for the podcast is a track called Fight or Fall by Def Lev. Find out more about the show at fab.industries/podcast — new media, new rules!