Strait of Hormuz: latest updates
Strait of Hormuz news today: an automatic brief from our ship tracking, the current status and every change to it, and sourced developments on the US blockade, Iran's toll, attacks on ships, mines, insurance and talks to reopen the strait.
Today so far. On 15 November 2026, 3 AIS-visible commercial ships have crossed the Strait of Hormuz (2 inbound into the Gulf, 1 outbound; 2 tankers), as of 09:52 UTC. The 7-day average is 6.4 a day, about 8% of normal. Status: Restricted (severely restricted).
Yesterday. On 14 November 2026, 6 commercial ships crossed (1 inbound, 5 outbound; 1 tanker). Ships that crossed on 14 Nov.
Last 7 days. 45 crossings (22 inbound, 23 outbound), including 14 tankers and 0 LNG or LPG carriers. The most recent crossing we detected was SEA EAGLE (Bulk Carrier), outbound to the Gulf of Oman, at .
Recent days as a table
| Date (UTC) | Crossings | Tankers | IMF PortWatch |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 November 2026 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| 9 November 2026 | 6 | 3 | not yet published |
| 10 November 2026 | 4 | 0 | not yet published |
| 11 November 2026 | 13 | 3 | not yet published |
| 12 November 2026 | 6 | 3 | not yet published |
| 13 November 2026 | 5 | 1 | not yet published |
| 14 November 2026 | 6 | 1 | not yet published |
This brief is written automatically from AIS-visible counts of commercial ships (cargo ships and tankers) crossing our counting line, and is not edited. Ships sailing with AIS switched off are missed, so trackers that also detect them report higher numbers. Why counts differ.
Is the Strait of Hormuz open today? Current status
Live status →AIS-visible commercial traffic is about 8% of normal: 6.4 a day over the past week, against 84.8 before the crisis. Ships are crossing under US naval coordination; Iran claims control and requires transit permits; the official threat level is severe.
Share of pre-crisis commercial traffic (7-day average vs 84.8 transits a day). The label also weighs the official threat level and whether a closure is declared: the rule.
What goes into the status
- AIS-visible traffic6.4 crossings a day
7-day average, about 8% of the pre-crisis 84.8. Traffic data - JMIC threat levelSEVERE
JMIC Advisory Update 113 (UKMTO), 12 November 2026 - Closure declared by IranYes, since 2 March 2026
Iran declared the strait closed to "hostile" shipping on 28 February and the IRGC confirmed the closure on 2 March. Since May, Iran requires transit permits and tolls through its Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), sanctioned by the US Treasury on 27 May. Iran's security chief said on 10 November that the strait will not reopen until the US meets Tehran's conditions. Al Jazeera, checked 11 November 2026. - US-coordinated corridorOperating
A US Navy (NAVCENT/NCAGS)-coordinated southern corridor through Omani waters. US Navy data relayed by JMIC show about 34 US-assisted transits a day over 8–11 November. CENTCOM said on 25 October that the primary transit routes remain clear of mines; JMIC still advises vigilance for attempted mining. JMIC Advisory Update 113 (UKMTO), 12 November 2026. - US blockade of Iranian portsActive since 14 July 2026
Last confirmed 12 November 2026. Blockade details
Status change log
| Changed (UTC) | Status | Why |
|---|---|---|
| RestrictedSeverely restricted | AIS-visible commercial traffic is about 0% of normal: 0.0 a day over the past week, against 84.8 before the crisis. Ships are crossing under US naval coordination; Iran claims control and requires transit permits; the official threat level is severe. |
Status changes are also published in our Atom feed. For the full dated history of the crisis, see the Strait of Hormuz timeline.
Key developments: Strait of Hormuz latest news
Full timeline →- · diplomacyThe UN Security Council meets on the Gulf at Bahrain's request; the UN says efforts to stop a return to full-scale fighting have yet to produce a deal. UN News
- · tollIran's blacklist of ships that used the US-coordinated corridor or did not pay its toll stands at 240 vessels after two tankers are added. Windward
- · energyKpler puts oil and product flows through Hormuz at about 8.3 million barrels a day in the week to 11 November, about 48% of pre-war, on preliminary data. Kpler
- · diplomacyPresident Trump says "We don't need a deal with Iran" and tells Vice President Vance to focus on domestic matters rather than the negotiations. NBC News
- · securityJMIC keeps the Strait of Hormuz threat level at SEVERE (Advisory Update 113) after tankers are attacked off Oman's Musandam coast on 10 and 11 November. UKMTO / JMIC
- · securityThe IMO's count reaches 136 confirmed incidents and 25 seafarer deaths. IMO
- · energySaudi Arabia's East-West oil pipeline is struck in the Medina region, causing a limited fire; the energy ministry says operations are unaffected. Reuters via Khaleej Times
- · militaryCENTCOM disables the cargo ship Huda in the Gulf of Oman and says the blockade of Iranian ports has redirected 147 commercial vessels and disabled five. CENTCOM
- · securityThe IMO Council records the 25th seafarer death of the conflict, after the tanker Velos Sapphire is hit in the Gulf north of Qatar. IMO
- · tollIran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority adds 114 ships to its blacklist in one update, almost doubling it to 240. Seatrade Maritime News
- · diplomacyIran's foreign minister says talks with Qatari mediators have cut Iran's reopening plan from seven days to two: the US would act on day one and the strait would reopen on day two. Middle East Eye
- · energyQatarEnergy extends LNG force majeure to the end of December for Italy's Edison and buyers in Pakistan. Reuters via Arab News
Developments are chosen and checked by our editor, each with a dated source.
Hormuz blockade: the US blockade of Iranian ports
Status: active since 14 July 2026, last confirmed 12 November 2026. Source: JMIC Advisory Update 113 (UKMTO).
US Central Command began blockading ships going to or from Iranian ports at 10:00 EDT on 13 April 2026, after talks in Islamabad ended without agreement. It lifted the blockade on 18 June under the Islamabad Memorandum, then reimposed it after the ceasefire collapsed on 8 July: President Trump announced the move on 13 July and it took effect at 20:00 GMT on 14 July (Wikipedia, accessed 29 Sep 2026).
CENTCOM said on 7 November that enforcement since July had redirected 147 commercial vessels and disabled five merchant ships that refused to comply (CENTCOM, 7 Nov 2026). The blockade applies to traffic to and from Iranian ports. Separately, the US coordinates transits for other shipping through a southern corridor in Omani waters, and many ships cross with AIS switched off: on 13 November Windward counted 9 transits, all of them dark (Windward, data as of 13 Nov 2026).
Strait of Hormuz toll: Iran's permits and blacklist
Iran set up the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) on 5 May 2026 to issue transit permits and collect fees for passage through the strait (Wikipedia, accessed 29 Sep 2026); Windward reports it began operating in mid-May (Windward, 17 Sep 2026). The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) warned on 1 May that paying Iran for passage carries sanctions risk (Skuld, 1 Jun 2026) and designated the PGSA on 27 May (OFAC, 27 May 2026).
The PGSA publishes blacklists of ships that used the US-coordinated southern corridor or crossed without paying. Tranches released on 24 August, 2 September and 14 September took the list to 77 ships, 85% of them tankers (Windward, 17 Sep 2026). It almost doubled to 240 on 2 November, when 114 ships were added in one update (Seatrade Maritime News, 2 Nov 2026), and stood at 240 on 13 November (Windward, data as of 13 Nov 2026).
On 22 September a committee of Iran's parliament approved articles of a Strait of Hormuz bill that would allow seizure of 20% of the cargo, or its value, of ships that break Iran's transit rules (Iran International, 22 Sep 2026; IRNA via GlobalSecurity, 23 Sep 2026). The committee has since completed its review; the bill still needs a vote in open session of parliament and Guardian Council approval (Iran International, 4 Oct 2026).
Security: threat level, ship attacks, mines and insurance
Threat level
The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), whose advisory notes are published through UKMTO, rates the regional threat level SEVERE as of 12 November 2026 (JMIC Advisory Update 113 (UKMTO)). JMIC raised the level to CRITICAL on 1 March 2026 (Argus, 2 Mar 2026), lowered it to SEVERE on 7 June (Skuld, 9 Jun 2026) and to MODERATE in its "Strait of Hormuz Open" advisory of 18 June (JMIC 009-26, 18 Jun 2026), then raised it back to SEVERE in early July after new attacks (SAFETY4SEA, 8 Jul 2026).
Ship attacks
Attacks on shipping: 136 confirmed incidents and 25 seafarer deaths (IMO), as of 11 November 2026. Source: IMO. Tankers were attacked off Oman's Musandam coast on 10 and 11 November, and two more were struck by unknown projectiles inside the Gulf (JMIC Update 113, 12 Nov 2026). A seafarer was killed when the tanker Velos Sapphire was hit in the Gulf north of Qatar in early November, the 25th death confirmed by the IMO (IMO, 6 Nov 2026). The bulk carrier Cape Dao, hit off Musandam on 23 September with the loss of one Indian seafarer, is now listed as sunk (IMO, 11 Nov 2026).
Mines
US officials said on 25 August 2026 that the Navy had cleared mines from the traffic separation scheme, after underwater drones identified more than 100 suspected mines over the preceding months (Wikipedia, accessed 29 Sep 2026). On 25 October CENTCOM's commander said the primary transit routes "remain free and clear of Iranian sea mines" (CENTCOM, 25 Oct 2026). JMIC's update of 12 November still advised mariners to remain vigilant for attempted mining within and next to the traffic separation scheme (JMIC Update 113, 12 Nov 2026).
War-risk insurance
In early November 2026 Lloyd's List put war-risk premiums for Gulf transits at 7–9% of a ship's hull value, with some cover written as low as 5%, against about 0.25% before the war: $7–9 million for a $100 million tanker instead of about $250,000 (Insurance Business, 9 Nov 2026). In July the broker Marsh had put the range at 3–10% (The National, 17 Jul 2026).
hormuz.now does not give navigation or security advice. Ship operators should follow UKMTO, JMIC, MARAD and flag-state guidance (see the official sources below).
Ceasefire and deal talks: when will the Strait of Hormuz open?
There is no agreed date for reopening. On 24–25 September Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, outlined a seven-day plan at the UN in New York (PBS NewsHour, 26 Sep 2026), and President Trump rejected it on 26 September, saying it "would not be acceptable" (NPR, 26 Sep 2026). The US replied through Qatari mediators, and on 11 October Iran's security chief called the reply "insufficient" (Reuters, 11 Oct 2026). On 31 October Araghchi said talks with Qatar had cut the plan to two days: the US would act on day one and the strait would reopen on day two (Middle East Eye, 1 Nov 2026). On 12 November President Trump wrote "We don't need a deal with Iran" (NBC News, 12 Nov 2026), and the UN said on 13 November that efforts to stop a return to full-scale fighting had yet to produce a deal (UN News, 13 Nov 2026).
Earlier attempts did not last. A two-week ceasefire mediated by Pakistan took effect on 8 April, and the Islamabad Memorandum, signed on 17 June with a 60-day negotiation window, brought a partial reopening before the ceasefire collapsed on 8 July (Wikipedia, accessed 29 Sep 2026). Key dates of the crisis.
Our headline status is computed from the AIS-visible traffic we count plus dated, sourced context such as the official threat level. Unless an editor overrides it with a cited reason, it reads Open only when the 7-day average reaches 60 commercial crossings a day in IMF PortWatch terms, the JMIC threat level is MODERATE or lower, and no closure is declared. How we decide the status.
What ships are broadcasting
Ships and their messages →Crews type a destination into their AIS transponder, and in this crisis many use it to send a message instead, such as the crew's nationality or that armed guards are on board. Commercial ships in the region broadcasting each kind of message right now:
Official sources and advisories
- UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO)
Incident reports and JMIC advisory notes for the region, including the latest JMIC update (12 November 2026). - International Maritime Organization: Middle East and Strait of Hormuz
Incident list, seafarer casualties and JMIC advisories. - US Maritime Administration (MARAD) maritime security advisories
US government advisories for ships in the region. - IMF PortWatch: Strait of Hormuz
Daily transit counts from satellite AIS.
Follow Strait of Hormuz updates
Our Atom (RSS) feed at /feed.xml carries every status change and a daily traffic brief. Add it to any feed reader.
More: the full crisis timeline · daily ship traffic · oil and LNG flows · frequently asked questions · open data and API
Editorial context last reviewed 15 November 2026.
Live AIS data as of · 1,436 vessels visible in the region. Counts are AIS-visible only and miss ships running dark. How we count.