Strait of Hormuz
Maritime chokepoint between Iran and Oman connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean. More than 80% of the oil and LNG transiting the Strait flows to Indo-Pacific allies (Japan, South Korea, China, India), making it one of the most strategically consequential waterways in the world.
April 2026 — Operation Epic Fury
During operation-epic-fury, Iran placed naval mines in the Strait; the U.S. responded by transiting Avenger-class minehunters from Japan via Sri Lanka (src-epic-fury-update-2026-04).
On April 22, 2026 — in retaliation for U.S. seizures of three sanctioned Iranian-affiliated tankers under the U.S. naval blockade — irgc-navy small craft seized two tankers in the Strait: the Liberian-flagged Epaminondas and the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca.