• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026

2

Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup

3

Cursor’s 25-year-old CEO is a former Google intern who just cemented a $60 billion deal with SpaceX

1

Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026

2

Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup

3

Cursor’s 25-year-old CEO is a former Google intern who just cemented a $60 billion deal with SpaceX
EnergyIran

Iran has reopened the Strait of Hormuz—but experts say it now holds a card that works ‘almost like a nuclear deterrent’

By
Eva Roytburg
Eva Roytburg
Fellow, News
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Eva Roytburg
Eva Roytburg
Fellow, News
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 17, 2026, 12:37 PM ET
A person points at a page on the Marinetraffic website that shows commercial boats traffic on the edge of the Strait of Hormuz near the Iranian coast, in Paris on March 4, 2026. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP via Getty Images)
It’s unclear when commercial shippers will gain the confidence to resume normal operations.JULIEN DE ROSA—AFP/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Iran’s foreign minister declared the Strait of Hormuz “completely open” for commercial shipping on Friday, sending Brent crude down roughly $10 to around $89 a barrel within minutes and U.S. stocks to a fresh record high.

Recommended Video

President Donald Trump quickly claimed credit on Truth Social, writing that the Strait is “COMPLETELY OPEN AND READY FOR BUSINESS”—but he made clear the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports isn’t going anywhere until a deal with Iran is “100% COMPLETE.” He added that the negotiation process “SHOULD GO VERY QUICKLY” because most of the points have already been worked out.

Despite the strait opening, it’s unclear when commercial shippers will gain the confidence to resume normal operations. Some told the Wall Street Journal they were waiting for clearer security guarantees before resuming normal traffic, which before the war ran at around 135 vessels a day.

On the face of it, the reopening is the clearest sign yet that the two-month U.S.-Iran war is winding down. But the bigger story, according to veteran energy analysts, is the fresh leverage Iran discovered it holds in the Gulf.

“It turns out the Strait of Hormuz functions almost like a nuclear deterrent,” said Jim Krane, a Gulf energy expert at Rice University’s Baker Institute and the author of books on Saudi and UAE energy policy. “It’s a pretty strong card that they play, basically holding the global economy hostage to halt attacks on it.”

Roughly 20% of the world’s oil and a large share of liquefied natural gas transit the narrow strait. When Iran effectively closed it in February, the impact on the global economy was immediate; Asia and Europe faced blackouts and rationing, and fertilizer supplies tightened, threatening crop yields. Even Iraq—an Iranian ally—had to shutter oil production because it couldn’t move its gas, forcing its power grid into rolling outages, Krane said. 

That pressure is ultimately what forced Iran’s hand, Krane explained. “Iran can probably hang on for a while,” he noted, pointing out that Iranian oil exports have actually risen during the war thanks to cargoes already on the water. “But the pressure on the global economy was really just unsustainable.”

Friday’s euphoric price drop may be premature. Ed Morse, former longtime head of commodities research at Citigroup, told Fortune that the market is getting ahead of the physical reality. “The forward curves are pointing to, from a consumer perspective, optimism that’s not warranted by where the actual flows are,” Morse said.

The reality is that the markets cannot catch up fast enough to meet the dearth of oil. Morse claims roughly 10 million barrels a day of supply have been disrupted for 45 days. That missing supply from the global system is partly absorbed by demand destruction and by drawing down inventories that are now “extremely low,” Morse said. Other estimates have gone even higher, like the International Energy Agency putting the true daily toll at 20 million barrels per day. 

Even if the strait reopened fully overnight, it would take at least seven weeks for oil that left the Middle East before the war to reach Asia-Pacific markets. “There’s not going to be oil reaching their normal destinations for almost two months,” he said. “And that assumes you’ll get production back rapidly, and that you’ll get flows back rapidly, which I don’t think is going to happen.”

Iran has also said it placed mines in the Strait of Hormuz, using its knowledge of their locations as leverage by guiding select ships safely around them, allowing them to further thwart any attempts by ships to move through the strait without Iranian approval.

That’s one of two things that will stretch the timeline further, he added. Mine clearance in the strait—which Trump posted on Truth Social is happening with Iran’s cooperation—could take the better part of a month depending on cooperation. And ship owners, Morse said, are going to be extremely cautious about sending vessels back into the waterway. A VLCC—the largest class of crude tanker—costs about $120 million to $130 million. “You’re not going to risk losing your money machine,” Morse said.

Subscribe to Fortune Gulf Brief. Every Tuesday, this new newsletter delivers clear-eyed, authoritative intelligence on the deals, decisions, policies, and power shifts shaping one of the world’s most consequential regions, written for the people who need to act on it. Sign up here.
About the Author
By Eva RoytburgFellow, News
Instagram iconLinkedIn icon

Eva covers macroeconomics, market-moving news, and the forces shaping the global economy.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Energy

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Energy

Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026
Personal FinanceOil
Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 17, 2026
1 hour ago
Vessels lie at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz off Iran's coast.
Energyoil and gas
Filling up your car won’t feel normal until next summer, S&P says
By Tristan BoveJune 16, 2026
18 hours ago
Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026
Personal FinanceOil
Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 16, 2026
1 day ago
REE Corp. chair Nguyen Thi Mai Thanh spent 40 years navigating Vietnam’s economy. Here’s what she thinks comes next
MagazineVietnam
REE Corp. chair Nguyen Thi Mai Thanh spent 40 years navigating Vietnam’s economy. Here’s what she thinks comes next
By Nicholas GordonJune 16, 2026
1 day ago
U.S.-Iran interim deal: What could a Gulf bounce back look like?
NewslettersFortune Gulf Brief
U.S.-Iran interim deal: What could a Gulf bounce back look like?
By Melissa HancockJune 16, 2026
1 day ago
The jet fuel crisis never existed, sources say
EnergyPrivate Jets
The jet fuel crisis never existed, sources say
By Jim EdwardsJune 16, 2026
1 day ago

Most Popular

Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 16, 2026
1 day ago
Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup
Success
Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup
By Preston ForeJune 15, 2026
2 days ago
Cursor’s 25-year-old CEO is a former Google intern who just cemented a $60 billion deal with SpaceX
AI
Cursor’s 25-year-old CEO is a former Google intern who just cemented a $60 billion deal with SpaceX
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJune 16, 2026
1 day ago
'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream
Success
'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream
By Nick LichtenbergJune 16, 2026
1 day ago
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Big Tech
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
By Tristan BoveJune 15, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 15, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.