Iran鈥檚 grip on the Strait of Hormuz has , causing a spike in fuel prices that has rippled through other sectors with effects far beyond the Middle East. It has also left and hundreds of ships stranded in the Persian Gulf.
Iran effectively seized control of the critical waterway after the U.S. and Israel . Weeks of heavy bombing and a imposed last month have yet to loosen its grip. Iran says it will only reopen the strait if the war ends and the blockade is lifted. U.S. President is seeking wider concessions, including the rollback of Iran’s .
Here is a look at the strait by the numbers:
21 miles (34 kilometers)
This is the width of the Strait of Hormuz, which bends like an elbow, at its narrowest point between Iran and Oman. Ships follow narrow lanes to safely navigate the shallow water, making it even more of a chokepoint.
20%
Before the war, a fifth of the world鈥檚 traded oil typically flowed through the Strait of Hormuz every day, as well as large supplies of natural gas, fertilizer and other petroleum products.
100-130
The number of ships that passed through the Strait each day before the war began, including oil tankers and cargo ships, research firm Lloyd鈥檚 List Intelligence.
534
The number of ships that are believed to have passed through the strait since the start of hostilities through May 4, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence. Many are believed to have carried Iranian oil. In normal times, an estimated 6,500 to 8,450 ships would have transited the Strait during the same period.
50%
The amount that the has risen since the war began. The average price of a gallon was $4.56 on Thursday, according to AAA. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has also nearly doubled .
Up to 10%
Insurance rates for ships have skyrocketed from 1% of the ship鈥檚 goods up to as much as 10%, according to shipping experts.
45 million
The , mostly in Asia and Africa, if Strait does not open soon, according to the U.N. World Food Program. The blocking of fuel and fertilizer shipments could soon push the price of food and other necessities out of reach for those already in a precarious situation, it said.
10
The number of mariners who have been killed since the Iran war began, according to the U.N.鈥檚 International Maritime Organization.
32
The number of ships that have come under attack, according to the International Maritime Organization.
1,550
The number of vessels, from 87 countries, currently stranded in the Persian Gulf, according to the U.S. military.
22,500
The number of mariners , including many from South and Southeast Asia.
15,000
The number of U.S. soldiers, accompanied by 100 aircraft, committed to enforce Project Freedom, according to the U.S. military. U.S. President Donald Trump’s initiative to guide ships through the strait , just two days after he announced it.
2
The number of ships that the U.S. said it successfully guided through the strait as part of Project Freedom. ___
Associated Press writer David McHugh in Frankfurt, Germany, contributed.
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