Strait of Hormuz: Key Facts About the World's Most Critical Oil Route

Jun 17, 2025 Khushi Kumari

Prime Export Route Strait of Hormuz is the main corridor for exporting crude oil to Asia by OPEC members including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, etc

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Massive Oil Flow Between 17.8 – 20.8 million barrels per day flow through the strait (2022 data) nearly one‑fifth of global oil consumption

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Narrow Chokepoint The strait narrows to just 33 km, with shipping channels only 3 km wide each way

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Strategic Threats Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait in retaliation to Western pressure, though it has never fully done so

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US Navy Protection Commercial shipping is protected by the US Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain

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Alternate Pipelines UAE and Saudi Arabia jointly have ~2.6 mbpd pipeline capacity to bypass the strait

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LNG Flow Apart from oil, almost all of Qatar’s LNG exports also transit through this chokepoint

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