US Imposes Sanctions on Iranian Agency Trying to Control Shipping in the Strait of Hormuz

Sanctions on Iran's Strait authority directly threaten oil and LNG tanker transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for ~20% of global oil supply. The mechanism is supply_shortage: reduced tanker availability and higher insurance/war risk premiums push up crude and LNG prices globally. Impact is global but especially acute for Asian and European importers reliant on Middle Eastern crude. The channel is logistics (transit disruption) and input_cost for refiners and petrochemical plants. Direct winners: non-Iranian oil producers (US shale, Russia, Saudi Arabia) and LNG exporters (Qatar, Australia, US). Losers: Iranian oil exports, tanker owners exposed to Hormuz, and net oil importers.