Energy · Hormuz blockadeStrait Blocked: 20M Barrels in Largest Oil Shock on RecordAired August 17, 2026 at 3:07 PM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz0:02has triggered what the International0:03Energy Agency describes as the largest0:05oil supply disruption on record. Before0:08the war, the Strait moved about 200:10million [music] barrels per day, roughly0:121/5 of the world's supply, a choke point0:14that helps set prices for gasoline, home0:16heating, shipping, and manufacturing.0:18>> [music]0:19>> So, a sustained closure threatens0:20household costs and global transport.0:22Gulf producers are racing to move crude0:24without transiting Hormuz. A [music]0:26second pipeline in the United Arab0:28Emirates to the Fujairah hub beyond the0:29Strait was sped up in [music] May, and0:31Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline is now0:33carrying nearly 7 million barrels per0:35day, up from 2 million before the war,0:37[music] both intended to bypass the0:38waterway entirely. Those expanded routes0:41are designed to keep oil flowing around0:42the blockage if the Strait remains shut.0:46Leverage from the blockage is being0:48tested [music] on the demand side. China0:50is importing at least 3 million fewer0:52barrels per day than before the war,0:54linked to a sharp pivot toward electric0:56vehicles, [music] coal, and renewables,0:57and highway charging for electric0:59vehicles rose 56% year-over-year on the1:01first day of the May Day travel period.1:03Together, new bypass routes and lower1:05consumption may blunt [music] leverage1:07from the closure and push a longer-term1:09shift away from oil, with moves already1:11cited that would change how people power1:13homes and drive. The United Kingdom1:15requiring solar [music] and heat pumps1:16in new homes, Vietnam aiming for 10%1:19rooftop solar by year-end, and Indonesia1:21setting a goal for [music] all vehicles1:23to be electric. This account comes from1:25a single segment drawing on Wall Street1:26Journal [music] and Bloomberg reporting,1:28with the pipeline and demand figures not1:30yet independently verified. What remains1:32unresolved is whether the [music]1:33pipelines can sustain those higher1:35volumes, whether China's lower imports1:37and the clean energy buildup mark a1:39durable structural [music] break or a1:41temporary wartime adjustment, and1:43whether the shock will permanently1:44reduce oil dependence or deliver only a1:46short-term price and supply jolt.1:49Like and follow for more stories that1:50matter.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗