Commercial vessels are pictured offshore in Dubai on March 11, 2026. - | Afp | Getty Images Iran's de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has stoked fears of the gravest disruption to global oil supply in history, as the Middle East conflict stretches into its third week.

Commercial ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway on Iran's southern border connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and one of the world's most vital maritime arteries, slowed sharply on Saturday after strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran, according to industry experts and maritime data analyzed by The New York Times.