This summary explainer article is designed for readers to grab the latest details on the situation at the Strait of Hormuz, and the impacts that are being felt in manufacturing. Bookmark this article to return for breaking updates.

Breaking news: 7/9/2026

• Latest development: In retaliation for attacks on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. launched two nights of strikes on Iran and revoked a license that allowed the country to sell oil openly on the world market, according to the Associated Press. Although Trump says he will let U.S. negotiators continue talks, he thinks the ceasefire is over and the negotiators are “wasting their time,” according to AP.

Latest update: 7/9/2026

• Status of Strait: Open to shipping traffic, reportedly at half regular capacity
• Status of negotiations: On July 8, President Trump commented on the status of the cease fire agreement, claining that "as far as I'm concerned, it's over." Negotiators from the U.S. and Iran had met with mediators for indirect talks, but according to Reuters made little progress toward a lasting agreement. Reuters reported that the Strait of Hormuz was a prominent discussion topic, despite the June 17 memorandum of understanding that outlines a 60-day plan to reopen the Strait. Plans to schedule the next meeting are in place, including a claim from Trump on Wednesday night that "they called a little while ago. They want to make a deal so badly."
• Latest development: The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center has received reports of attacks on three tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz on July 6 and July 7. The first two incidents involved unidentified projectiles, while the third was struck by an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV). The first attack caused a fire, while the other two vessels are believed to have sustained structural damage. No casualties have been reported, according to the UKMTO. Iranian state television said the first tanker ignored warnings prior to the assault, but Iran did not claim any of the incidents, according to the Associated Press.
• Latest statements: At a July 6 media event in the Oval Office, President Trump made the following statement regarding the conflict in Iran: “We’re either going to make a deal, or we’re going to finish the job … I’d rather make a deal because I don’t want to affect 91 million people. We can knock down their bridges in one hour. We can knock out their energy supply.”
• Latest analysis: According to Yahoo Finance, JP Morgan strategists recently wrote to clients that the oil market may be "facing the risk of a temporary glut as trapped oil finally re-enters a system that has already spent months learning how to function without it," specifically mentioning a sharp drop in oil demand by key customer China since the conflict began in February.
• Key supply chain impacts: Oil; LNG; Fertilizer
  • Current status: Tanker and dry bulk vessel transits are slowly recovering, according to IMF PortWatch.

Stats Tracker sources: UN Global Platform; IMF PortWatch; U.S. Energy Information Administration

• Status of US petroleum reserves: As of June 26, the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve inventory sits at 325.7 million oil barrels, less than half of the authorized capacity, according to the Department of Energy. This is the lowest inventory level since May 1983, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

• What people are saying:

  • Amrita Sen, founder and director of market intelligence at research consultancy Energy Aspects, told CNBC, “The situation is still far from normal … Shipping costs are incredibly high right now, and you still can’t find enough shippers willing to go back in there. So, as long as the vessels that have been stuck are coming out is one thing, but in a few weeks’ time when we need vessels to go back in, that’s when the rubber is going to hit the road.”

  • “It’s a very difficult environment for row-crop farmers today,” Ben Klieve, equity research analyst at The Benchmark Company, told Reuters. “The prices of the grain that they’re producing have fallen sharply in recent weeks and are actually down relative to the pre-Iran war levels, while input costs like diesel and fertilizer remain significantly higher, so their bottom lines are only getting weaker.”