Energy · Hormuz blockade180 Days: World's Oil Chokepoint Still ShutAired August 28, 2026 at 5:25 PM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00Strait of Hormuz oil flow falls from 20 million barrels a day to under 2 million.0:05Six months of closure has pushed war risk insurance to 40 times normal and drained0:09emergency reserves, with no reopening date.0:11How much longer can the world cope?0:13The numbers are stark, but the exact post-closure figure is hard to pin down because0:17much Gulf shipping now sails dark with its transponder off.0:20The closure took hold in late February.0:22A brief reopening in June didn't last.0:25After the ceasefire broke down in July, flows collapsed again.0:28As of August 28th, the strait remains largely shut.0:31But the strait is just one front.0:33In Yemen, Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have attacked Red Sea shipping and declared a0:37maritime embargo on Saudi-linked vessels.0:39Their strikes hit the Yanbu export hub, which had been pumping 4-5 million barrels a0:44day as a workaround, and the Jizan refinery with capacity of 400,000 barrels a day.0:49The disruption reaches everyone because the oil is where the wars are.0:53Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Libya, and Venezuela, all conflict affected, produced about0:5845 million barrels a day last year.1:01more than 43% of global supply.1:03Prices show the strain.1:05Brent crude, around $72 before the war, spiked to over $100 and now sits in the high1:1180 slash S to low 90 slash.1:13The world has responded by draining reserves.1:16U.S.1:16naval forces cleared mines and escorted 1,500 vessels carrying 750 million barrels.1:22The IEA coordinated emergency stockpile releases, and the US opened up to 1721:27million barrels, sending the strategic petroleum reserve to 289.7 million barrels,1:33the lowest since 1982.1:35But the underlying risk remains with no reopening date.1:38Every week of closure keeps prices elevated, inventories falling, and the supply1:42chain leaning on measures that are finite, the vulnerabilities persist even when the1:46shooting pauses.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗