Sultan Al Jaber, ADNOC’s managing director and group chief executive, has said the Strait of Hormuz is not Iran’s to close or control, sharpening the public response from Abu Dhabi as shipping disruption, security fears and energy market strain deepen across the Gulf. In a message published on Sunday, Al Jaber said any attempt to restrict passage through the waterway would threaten global energy, food and healthcare security and set what he called a dangerous precedent. His intervention came as the fallout from the war that began on 28 February continued to reshape the region’s commercial and strategic landscape. Reuters reported that at least 22 vessels have been targeted since the conflict started, with 10 crew members killed, while around 20,000 seafarers have been left stranded or unable to move safely through the Gulf. Separate reporting over the past week showed hundreds of ships backed up inside or around the Strait, with traffic running far below normal even after a ceasefire announcement.
The strait, which links the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, remains one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints. Reuters said nearly a fifth of global oil and gas exports normally pass through Hormuz, making any interruption immediately consequential for producers, consumers, insurers and shipping companies. The waterway’s disruption during the six-week conflict marked an extraordinary break from past crises, with Gulf energy infrastructure and export routes exposed on a scale not seen before.
Al Jaber’s remarks also carried legal and diplomatic weight. The International Maritime Organization has already warned that any toll or unilateral restriction on transit through Hormuz would breach the principle of transit passage under international law. That position matters because Iran has sought to assert leverage over maritime movement at a moment when Gulf producers are trying to restore output, clear shipping queues and reassure customers in Asia and elsewhere that the region remains a dependable supplier.
Pressure on the route intensified further on Monday after Washington announced a naval blockade of Iranian ports following the collapse of talks in Islamabad. Reuters and AP both reported that the blockade was aimed at vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports rather than all non-Iranian transit through the strait, but the move added another layer of military risk to an already fragile passage. Tankers began steering clear ahead of the measure, underlining how quickly commercial decisions are now being shaped by security calculations rather than ordinary market signals.
For the UAE and its neighbours, the dispute is no longer only about oil prices. It is about whether a single regional power can convert geography into coercive leverage over world trade. Reuters reported that Al Jaber had earlier said the strait was effectively not open because access had become restricted, conditioned and controlled. That assessment reflected frustration among Gulf producers whose export systems, storage networks and upstream facilities have all been tested by missile and drone attacks as well as maritime paralysis.
The commercial damage is becoming easier to measure. Shipping delays have trapped crude cargoes, disrupted delivery schedules and complicated refinery planning in key import markets. Analysts cited by Reuters said the conflict has already forced governments and buyers to confront how vulnerable the Gulf remains despite years of investment in diversification, alternative pipelines and strategic reserves. Some energy executives and policymakers are now likely to treat secure navigation in Hormuz as a more urgent long-term policy question rather than a background geopolitical risk.
At the same time, Al Jaber’s language reflects a broader effort by Abu Dhabi to frame the issue as one of global order rather than a narrow Gulf dispute. By linking Hormuz to food and healthcare security as well as fuel supply, he signalled that shipping interference affects container traffic, essential goods and crew welfare alongside hydrocarbons. That framing may help the UAE build wider diplomatic support at a time when maritime insurers, shipping associations and multilateral bodies are all warning that the costs of uncertainty are spreading well beyond the region.
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