Iran put part of the world's key oil artery on pause for a few hours on Tuesday. Tehran's Revolutionary Guard temporarily restricted traffic in sections of the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a safety measure during live-fire military drills, according to state media. The exercise, dubbed "Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz," asked commercial vessels to steer clear for the duration of the drill, CNBC reports.
Jakob Larsen, safety and security chief at global shipowners' group Bimco, said the move would likely mean "minor nuisance and delays" for ships heading into the Persian Gulf, but he didn't expect major disruption. Given regional tensions, he added, merchant ships are expected to comply. The Strait of Hormuz, wedged between Oman and Iran, is one of the world's most sensitive energy chokepoints. Around 13 million barrels of crude a day—roughly 31% of global seaborne oil—moved through it in 2025, per data from Kpler.
The timing was notable: The closure came as US and Iranian officials met in Geneva to try to ease a standoff over Iran's nuclear program. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the two sides had agreed on "guiding principles" but warned that more work is needed before any deal is reached. Both countries have recently boosted their military presence in the region. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei took a harsher tone before the talks, warning that "the strongest army in the world might sometimes receive such a slap that it cannot get back on its feet," the AP reports.
The US delegation was led by President Trump envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, the AP reports. "In some ways, it went well," Vice President JD Vance said after he spoke with the envoys. "But in other ways, it was very clear that the president has set some red lines that the Iranians are not yet willing to actually acknowledge and work through."
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