Strait of Hormuz Near-Closure Causes Worst Oil Supply Crisis in History, Prompting Coalition Standoff

Iranian military actions bring the Strait of Hormuz to near-closure, causing the largest oil supply disruption in history, while the US struggles to build a naval coalition as European allies refuse to join.

As the 2026 Iran War continued into March, Iran's actions in the Strait of Hormuz — including mine-laying, missile threats, and attacks on tankers at Iraqi ports — brought international oil shipping through the strait to a near-halt. Brent crude oil climbed above $100 a barrel for the first time in years. The IEA warned it was the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market. Trump urged European and Asian allies to join a naval coalition to reopen the strait, but Germany, Italy, and Greece explicitly refused, with Germany's defense minister saying "this is not our war." Japan also declined. The US temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian oil to help stabilize markets. The standoff over the Strait of Hormuz encapsulated seven decades of US-Iran conflict: oil, military power, and the limits of American influence.