The Strait of Hormuz is not open as Iran controls access after ceasefire, UAE oil CEO says
#Strait of Hormuz#Iran#oil supply disruption#ADNOC#maritime blockade#ceasefire#Persian Gulf#Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber
📌 Key Takeaways
The Strait of Hormuz remains closed despite a U.S.-Iran ceasefire, with Iran controlling access.
ADNOC's CEO warns of escalating global economic consequences and higher oil prices the longer the strait is restricted.
Approximately 230 loaded oil tankers are stuck waiting to exit the Persian Gulf due to the blockade.
Iran's military has stated it will "manage and intelligently control" the strategic waterway.
📖 Full Retelling
Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), stated on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz has not reopened to maritime traffic despite a recently agreed two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. He demanded a full reopening, warning that Iran is restricting, conditioning, and controlling access to the critical waterway, which constitutes coercion rather than freedom of navigation. This situation directly contradicts U.S. President Donald Trump's Tuesday statement that the ceasefire was contingent on Iran agreeing to the complete and safe opening of the strait.
According to freight analysts, ship traffic through the strait has not increased since the ceasefire took effect, remaining at the severely reduced levels seen during most of the recent conflict. This follows Iran's military command stating on Wednesday that it would "manage and intelligently control" the passage. The ongoing restriction has created a massive backlog, with Al Jaber revealing that approximately 230 oil tankers are currently loaded and waiting to sail out of the Persian Gulf. The physical reality of this supply disruption is poised to hit markets, as the final cargoes that transited before the war are now arriving, and no new shipments are getting through.
The consequences are compounding daily. Al Jaber emphasized that every day of delay deepens the disruption, tightening markets, raising prices, and impacting economies and households globally. He argued that the strait is a natural passage governed by international law guaranteeing transit as a right, not a privilege to be weaponized. True stability, he concluded, depends not on partial access or temporary measures, but on restoring full, reliable, and unimpeded oil flows through this chokepoint, which historically carried about 20% of the world's oil supply.
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Arabic: شركة بترول أبو ظبي الوطنية), known by its acronym ADNOC, is the state-owned oil company of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is the world's 12th largest oil company by production. As of 2021, the company has an oil production capacity exceeding 4 million...
Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, (Arabic: سلطان أحمد الجابر; born 31 August 1973) is an Emirati politician who is the minister of industry and advanced technology of the United Arab Emirates, head of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), and chairman of Masdar.
Al Jaber is the UAE's special envoy for c...
# Iran
**Iran**, officially the **Islamic Republic of Iran** and historically known as **Persia**, is a sovereign country situated in West Asia. It is a major regional power, ranking as the 17th-largest country in the world by both land area and population. Combining a rich historical legacy with a...
Strait between the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf
The Strait of Hormuz ( Persian: تنگهٔ هُرمُز Tangeh-ye Hormoz , Arabic: مَضيق هُرمُز Maḍīq Hurmuz) is a strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean and is one of the world's most strategically important choke points. ...
The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran (Persia). It is connected to the Gulf of Oman in the east by the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait of Hormuz has not opened to ship traffic after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, said the CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., or ADNOC, on Thursday. "This moment requires clarity," said Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber in a social media post . "So let's be clear: the Strait of Hormuz is not open. Access is being restricted, conditioned and controlled." Iran has made clear that ships must obtain its permission to pass through the strait, Al Jaber said. "That is not freedom of navigation. That is coercion," the ADNOC chief said. ADNOC is the United Arab Emirates' state-owned oil company. The UAE is the third-largest oil producer in OPEC, pumping 3.4 million barrels per day before the war broke out on Feb. 28 President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the ceasefire was subject to Iran agreeing to the complete, immediate and safe opening of the Strait of Hormuz. But ship traffic through the strait has not picked up since the ceasefire took effect, freight analysts have told CNBC. Traffic remains at the slow trickle that has been observed during most of the war, they said. AFP | Getty Images Iran's military command said Wednesday that it will "manage and intelligently control the Strait of Hormuz," according to state-owned Press TV . Oil tanker traffic through the strait plunged during the war due to Iranian attacks on vessels, triggering the largest oil supply disruption in history. The strait connects oil producers in the Persian Gulf to the global market. About 20% of global oil supplies passed through the narrow sea route before the war. The final oil cargoes that transited the strait before the war are now arriving at their destinations, Al Jaber said. The oil futures market, which plunged after the ceasefire announcement, will soon meet the physical reality of the supply disruption, he said. "Every day the Strait remains restricted, the consequences compound," the CEO said. "Supply is delayed, markets tighten, prices rise. The impact is felt beyond ene...
