The Strait of Hormuz: 33 km that decide your petrol price

Transcript

A strip of water just 33 kilometers wide is deciding what you pay for petrol. Ships are being hit there every week. Indian sailors have died there. So what is going on in the Strait of Hormuz? Hormuz is the narrow gap between Iran and Oman, and the only sea route out of the Persian Gulf. Before this year, about a fifth of the world's oil pass through it every day. For India, it is a key route for oil, gas and cooking gas. This didn't start overnight. In June 2025, Israel and the US bombed Iran's nuclear sites in a 12-day war. Sanctions returned, Iran's currency crashed, and in January, protests were crushed. Then, on February 28 this year, the US and Israel launched hundreds of air strikes on Iran. On the first day, they killed Iran's supreme leader, Ali Kamenay. His son Majtaba took over. Iran fired back across the region, and within days, it shut the Strait of Hormuz, oil crossed $100 for the first time in four years. Other countries rushed in. Pakistan carried messages between Washington and Iran, and with China pushed a peace plan. In April, Pakistan broke at a ceasefire, but talks in Islamabad failed. America blockaded Iran's ports, and Iran kept the Strait shut. A dual blockade. In June, peace seemed close. The two presidents signed a deal in Islamabad, and the blockades were lifted. It lasted three weeks. On July 8, the truce collapsed after attacks on ships, with each side blaming the other. The US blockade came back. Since then, it has only got worse. Mines, drones and missiles. In one week this month, 12 ships were attacked. A container ship sank. Oil is back above $110. And reports say new US and Israeli strikes are being planned for early November. Washington accuses Iran of attacking shipping, and says it will never let Iran charge a toll. Tehran says the Strait stays shut until the US lifts its blockade and meets its conditions. And India, we buy most of our oil from abroad, much of it from the Gulf. Since March, the Indian Navy has been escorting Indian ships out of danger. It's called Operation Urger Sirakshah. Our sailors have paid a heavy price. At least seven Indian seafarers had died by June, and more since. At home, petrol and diesel went up about three rupees a litre in May, even after tax cuts. An hour oil import bill jumped 61 percent in a year. So where does this go? Diplomats are still passing messages through Pakistan and Qatar. The next few weeks could bring a deal, or a bigger war. For now, the whole world is waiting, and watching a 33 kilometer strip of water. Follow Curio for more stories like this.

Transcribed automatically from the video, so small errors are possible.