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Iran, US make competing claims over control of Strait of Hormuz

Iran says vessels need permission to pass Hormuz as Kpler data shows traffic down 90% from prewar levels, while Washington plans new sanctions.

  • On Friday, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation chief executive Shaikh Nawaf Saud Al-Sabah called the current crisis the toughest since Iraq's 1990 invasion, as Iranian restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz choke off vital oil exports.
  • Since the war began February 28, 2026, Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, forcing vessel traffic down roughly 90% and sparking competing claims with President Donald Trump over waterway control.
  • Trade intelligence firm Kpler recorded only nine commodity vessels transiting Thursday, near a three-month low, while Trump claimed the U.S. maintains a 'WALL OF STEEL' naval blockade countering Iran's control.
  • Kuwait's oil-sector GDP collapsed 12.5% in the first quarter of 2026, with the country's overall economy contracting 4.6% as KPC struggles to find export alternatives amid maritime paralysis.
  • Negotiations between Tehran and Oman regarding alternative routes remain unfinalized, leaving Kuwait exposed to prolonged economic risks and environmental damage to sensitive mangrove ecosystems along the Persian Gulf.
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207 Articles

Lean Left

Over the past 24 hours, the Strait of Ormuz, where clashes are taking place in parallel with an oil spill, has (yet) been the subject of a communication battle between Iran and the United States, each claiming control.

·Paris, France
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Lean Right

Major-General Arnaut Moreira points out that Iran will postpone agreements in Ormuz to politically wear down the American president. Mecca's agreement already creates a new pole of Muslim power in the Middle East.

·Lisboa, Portugal
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Lean Left

The Iran and the US government of Donald Trump cannot agree on a regulation for the road. The oil price reacts. Also the energy agency IEA is worried.

·Berlin, Germany
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  • 40% of the sources are Center, 39% of the sources lean Right
40% Center

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Hudson Institute broke the news in Washington, United States on Wednesday, August 12, 2026.
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