Blockade

Strategy or physical withdrawal: What does Washington’s shift from airstrikes to sanctions signify?

Despite the apparent success of the US’s blockade and sanctions campaign, Iranian officials have repeatedly expressed that they would not falter in maintaining control over the Strait of Hormuz.

US President Donald Trump reacts as he speaks to the media with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent behind him, on the day of a NATO leaders' summit in Ankara, Turkey, July 8, 2026.
US President Donald Trump speaks as he hosts a back-to-school-themed event to highlight his administration's education policies, in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, August 24, 2026; illustrative.

Trump: All mines cleared from Hormuz, Space Force watching nuclear sites, strait

Fans take pictures with a Lego World Cup trophy as they attend a watch party for the France vs Spain FIFA World Cup Semifinal match at Rockefeller Center on July 14, 2026 in New York City.

Lego sales rise as World Cup products draw new customers, despite Iran war raising cost of plastics

An Iranian flag flutters in the wind as ships remain anchored in the Strait of Hormuz on May 16. Negotiations between the US and Iran over opening this critical waterway have largely stalled.

Iran made billions of dollars, bypassed sanctions amid US blockade, top official Rezaee claims


Iran less likely to compromise in US talks as its isolation grows, analyst warns

The collapse of US-Iran talks is casting doubt on the ceasefire, suggesting it may be a fragile pause rather than a path to diplomacy.

A billboard with a graphic design about the Strait of Hormuz on a building in Tehran, Iran, April 13, 2026

Chinese tanker sanctioned by US crosses Strait of Hormuz despite blockade

A US-sanctioned Chinese tanker, Rich Starry, crosses the Strait of Hormuz, becoming the first to exit the Gulf since the US blockade began, carrying methanol from the UAE.

An LPG gas tanker at anchor as traffic is down in the Strait of Hormuz, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Shinas, Oman, March 11, 2026.

What does a US naval blockade of Iran mean for oil flows? - explainer

After weekend peace talks in Islamabad between negotiators from the US and Iran ended without a deal, US President Donald Trump ordered a full blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.

A vessel at the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman’s Musandam province, April 12, 2026.

Gaza flotilla backed by Greenpeace falters on departure date due to storm

The 39 vessels departing from Moll de la Fusta Port on Sunday would not be sailing directly to Gaza due to weather conditions and would instead travel to another port.

Former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, who participated in the 2025 Global Sumud Flotilla, speaks to the press as a flotilla prepares to depart for Gaza from Barcelona, Spain, April 12, 2026.

US allows Russian oil tanker to reach Cuba, reversing course on blockade

The US cut off Venezuelan oil exports to Cuba after toppling Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3.

An aerial view shows the oil tanker named Boracay (also called Pushpa), a vessel being investigated by French authorities and suspected of belonging to the so-called "shadow fleet" involved in the Russian oil trade, off the coast of the western France port of Saint-Nazaire, France, October 2, 2025

UAE willing to join international force to reopen Strait of Hormuz - report

The UAE plans to deploy its navy in a multinational task force to secure the Strait of Hormuz and protect global shipping from Iranian attacks.

A UAE navy soldier patrols at Al-Mokha port in Yemen, March 6, 2018; illustrative.

Middle Israel: Iran's multilevel blockade of the Straight of Hormuz is destined to fail - opinion

Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has three levels: the political, the military, and the economic. The political part is the strongest, and the economic part is the weakest.

INDIAN VESSEL ‘Nanda Devi’ carrying liquefied petroleum gas arrives at Vadinar Port in the Jamnagar district of Gujarat state earlier this week, after Iran allowed it to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a key energy corridor that Iran has selectively closed.

IDF rescues Israeli trapped inside Hizma following military blockade of Palestinian village - Ynet

IDF forces rescued an Israeli civilian from the Palestinian village of Hizma after he became trapped there during a military blockade imposed following stone throwing on Highway 60.

View of the Hizma checkpoint between Jerusalem and the West Bank, August 21, 2025.

US intercepts another vessel in international waters near Venezuela, officials say

The move comes days after US President Donald Trump announced a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.

A US military helicopter flies over the Panama-flagged Centuries, which was intercepted by the US Coast Guard, days after US President Donald Trump announced a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, east of Barbados in the Caribbean Sea December 20, 2025.

Prosecution moves to seize 50 foreign vessels linked to Gaza flotilla after blockade breach attempt

The flotilla, widely reported as the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), set sail in late August and included dozens of vessels and hundreds of activists from multiple countries.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and Brazilian activist Thiago Avila sit in a vessel making their way to Israel, after Israel intercepted some of the vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, in this handout image released on October 2, 2025.