📊 By The Numbers
April 20, 2026 · 5 min read
Hormuz Closed Again. Here's What Happened This Weekend.
Iran briefly reopened the Strait of Hormuz on Friday — then closed it again Saturday, firing on Indian and French vessels. Sunday was the quietest day in the waterway since the war began. Zero tankers crossed. Here are all the numbers from the weekend that could determine whether the ceasefire survives its final 48 hours.
The Strait of Hormuz has now been opened, partially opened, closed, reopened, and closed again so many times since April 8 that tracking its status requires a timeline. The weekend produced the clearest escalation since the blockade began: Iran fired on ships from three countries, the U.S. seized a vessel, and Sunday passed with zero tanker crossings — the worst single day for Hormuz traffic since the war started on February 28.
The Hormuz Status Log
Every Change Since the Ceasefire · Apr 8–20
Apr 8
Toll system
Ceasefire announced. Iran opens strait but charges $1M+ tolls per vessel. Only "friendly" ships pass freely.
Apr 9–12
Effectively closed
Israel's Lebanon strikes prompt Iran to pause Hormuz traffic. Ships backing up. U.S. says "open"; Iran says otherwise.
Apr 13
U.S. blockade
U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports takes effect. Iran-flagged and Iran-bound ships interdicted. Non-Iranian traffic technically permitted.
Apr 14–17
Trickle
A handful of vessels transit via Iran's southern Larak Island route. Mostly Chinese and "friendly" flagged tankers. 20,000 seafarers remain stranded.
Apr 17 (Fri)
Briefly open
Iran declares strait "completely open" during Lebanon ceasefire. Traffic begins to move. U.S. says blockade stays. Iran reverses within hours.
Apr 18 (Sat)
Closed + shots fired
IRGC reimposed closure. Warning shots fired at Indian-flagged vessels. French CMA CGM tanker also targeted. India summons Iran's ambassador.
Apr 19–20 (Sun)
Zero crossings
No tankers cross all day — quietest day since war began. U.S. seizes Touska. Two LPG tankers turned back by IRGC. Vessels anchored on both sides.
The Weekend's Shooting Incidents
Countries Whose Ships Were Targeted · Apr 18–19
🇮🇳
India (2 ships)
IRGC gunboats fired on two Indian-flagged vessels attempting transit. India called it "a serious incident of firing on merchant ships." India summoned Iran's ambassador in New Delhi. India has been among the countries Iran designated as "friendly" — the incident signals the toll system has collapsed entirely.
🇫🇷
France (CMA CGM)
French shipping giant CMA CGM confirmed one of its vessels was the target of IRGC warning shots. France is a permanent UN Security Council member and has been constructing a rival maritime coalition to the U.S. blockade — making the targeting politically significant beyond the maritime disruption.
🇦🇴
Angola / Botswana
Two additional tankers sailing under Angolan and Botswanan flags were forced to turn back by Iran's armed forces Sunday. Neither country has any involvement in the war — the indiscriminate targeting signals Iran is enforcing a complete closure regardless of vessel origin.
🇮🇷
Iran (Touska)
The Iranian-flagged Touska — under U.S. Treasury sanctions — attempted to reach an Iranian port. USS Spruance fired into its engine room after six hours of warnings. Boarded by U.S. Marines. First Iranian vessel physically seized by U.S. forces in the conflict.
0
Tankers crossed Hormuz on Sunday — worst single day since Feb. 28
23
Ships turned away under U.S. blockade total as of Sunday
20K
Seafarers still stranded in Gulf — no change since blockade began
📊 The Economic Math — $500M/Day: Trump claimed Sunday the blockade costs Iran $500 million per day. That figure aligns with Iran's pre-war oil export revenue of roughly $15–18 billion per month — approximately $500–600M per day. With Hormuz closed and Iranian port ships being interdicted, Iran's oil revenue has effectively gone to zero for the blockade's duration. Eight days of blockade at that rate equals roughly $4 billion in lost revenue. That number — not the military posture — is the actual pressure driving Iran toward the Islamabad table. The question is whether $4 billion in losses so far is enough, or whether it takes more.
"It is impossible for others to pass through the Strait of Hormuz while we cannot." — Iran's parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, April 19, 2026
🎯 The Bottom Line
Sunday was the quietest day in the Strait of Hormuz since the war began — zero tanker crossings, one seized vessel, four countries' ships targeted or turned away. Iran's position is clear: Hormuz stays closed as long as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports continues. The U.S. position is equally clear: the blockade stays until a deal is signed. The ceasefire expires Wednesday. The Islamabad talks begin Monday evening. The next 48 hours will determine whether the Hormuz log gets one more entry — "deal signed, both sides lift blockades" — or whether it continues the pattern of escalating closures that has now defined seven weeks of this war.
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