Published by Save the Children UK - April 2026
What is the Strait of Hormuz? A simple definition
The Strait of Hormuz is a waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It sits between Iran to the north and Oman to the south, connecting the Persian Gulf to the open sea. It is the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean.
Most people in Britain have never heard of it. But what happens there right now is directly affecting whether children in some of the world's most fragile countries get enough to eat.
Why is the Strait of Hormuz so important? Oil, gas, and food
Think of the Strait of Hormuz as a bottleneck — the only exit from a vast reservoir of oil and gas. In 2024, oil flow through the strait averaged 20 million barrels per day, the equivalent of about 20% of global petroleum consumption. It also carries around 20% of the world's liquefied natural gas trade, primarily from Qatar.
But it is not just fuel. Fertilizer — the substance that farmers across Africa and Asia depend on to grow food — also travels through this route. A quarter of the world's fertilizer supply comes through the Strait of Hormuz.
Here is the critical point: it provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, and is one of the world's most strategically important chokepoints.
There is no easy detour. When this route is blocked, the consequences spread fast — and the world's poorest people feel them first.
What is causing the Strait of Hormuz crisis in 2026?
Since 28 February 2026, the Strait has experienced major disruption following joint US and Israeli military strikes on Iran. In response, Iran's military forces issued warnings prohibiting vessel passage, leading to an effective halt in shipping traffic.
In March 2026, threats and attacks by Iran on ships passing through the strait led to a more than 95% drop in traffic, leading to the biggest disruption ever in the global oil supply and a surge in the price of other critical commodities.
Brent crude oil prices surpassed $100 per barrel on 8 March 2026 for the first time in four years, rising to $126 per barrel at their peak. The closure has been described by energy analysts as the largest disruption to global energy supply since the 1970s.
Diplomacy is ongoing. Iran agreed to a UN request to allow humanitarian and fertilizer shipments through the strait on 27 March, to address the disruption to fertilizer supply during the spring planting season.
But shipping traffic remains far below normal, and the situation is unresolved.
How does the Strait of Hormuz crisis cause child malnutrition?
This is the question that matters most to us at Save the Children — and the answer is more direct than you might expect.
Rising food prices hit the poorest families hardest
When fuel becomes more expensive, everything becomes more expensive. Farmers need fuel to power their equipment. Lorries need fuel to move food to markets. What may come to pass is less food in markets, and as a result, the prices of food in the world will increase. For families who already spend most of their income on food, even a small price rise can mean fewer meals.
Children are particularly at risk of malnutrition in that scenario.
The fertilizer crisis threatens next year's harvests — now
This is the part of the story that receives the least attention, but may cause the most long-term harm. Farmers across East Africa and South Asia are making planting decisions right now, in April and May. If they cannot access fertilizer at a price they can afford, they plant less. That means smaller harvests later in the year — and less food when families need it most.
Fertilizer not applied during the planting window cannot be replaced later in the season. The consequences of these shortages will begin to surface during the pre-harvest lean season around June, with hunger indicators — rising food prices, fewer meals, and increasing malnutrition — expected in the months shortly after.
The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation predicts no more than a three-month window for action before risks escalate significantly, affecting global planting decisions for 2026 and beyond.
Aid itself is being blocked
It is not just commercial goods that are stuck. Humanitarian supplies — specialist nutrition products, medicines, therapeutic food for severely malnourished children — also move through these shipping routes.
In Afghanistan, where three out of four malnourished children have already been turned away from nutrition clinics following last year's drop in foreign aid, containers of urgently needed specialist food — loaded and ready to leave Dubai by sea — have been returned to World Food Programme warehouses.
Those containers represent children who will not receive the treatment they need.
How many people could be pushed into hunger?
The UN World Food Programme estimates that almost 45 million more people could fall into acute food insecurity if the conflict does not end by the middle of 2026 and oil prices remain above $100 a barrel. These would add to the 318 million people around the world already food insecure.
To put that in context: the IRC warns that the current crisis risks far broader and more severe impacts than the 2022 Ukraine food shock. Unlike Ukraine, which primarily disrupted one major commodity — wheat — through a single corridor, the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz is simultaneously constraining fuel, fertilizer, liquefied natural gas, cooking gas, medicines, therapeutic foods, and pharmaceuticals into crisis zones worldwide.
Where does Save the Children come in?
Save the Children works in many of the countries most exposed to this crisis — including Yemen, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Syria, as well as across East Africa and South Asia. These are places where children were already going hungry before the Strait of Hormuz became a flashpoint.
When families face rising food prices and shrinking harvests, children suffer first. Malnutrition in children under five does not just cause hunger — it causes lasting, irreversible harm to brain development, physical growth, and the ability to learn.
The Strait of Hormuz feels a long way from the UK. But the decision to support children caught in crises like this one is straightforward, and it matters.
Strait of Hormuz crisis: FAQs
Has the Strait of Hormuz ever been closed before?
Not fully, until now. The strait has never been truly closed, but shipping was disrupted during the so-called Tanker War in the 1980s, when Iran and Iraq attacked oil tankers during the Iran-Iraq War. International naval forces intervened to guarantee safe passage. The 2026 disruption represents the largest in the waterway's modern history.
Why can’t ships just use a different route?
The Strait of Hormuz is the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean. Some limited pipeline alternatives exist — Saudi Arabia and the UAE have infrastructure that bypasses the strait — but existing bypass pipelines can only handle 3.5 to 5.5 million barrels per day, less than 30% of the strait's normal volume. For gas, there are no alternatives at all.
Which countries are most affected by the closure?
Countries such as Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Iraq rely heavily on seaborne imports for essential supplies. For these states, there is no immediate alternative to compensate for prolonged disruption. Beyond the Gulf, import-dependent countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia face the sharpest food price impacts.
Why are children particularly at risk?
Children under five are the most vulnerable to malnutrition because their bodies and brains are still developing. When food becomes scarce or unaffordable, families cut portions — and young children suffer the consequences first. Malnutrition at this age causes irreversible harm to cognitive development and physical growth. In countries where Save the Children works, many children were already malnourished before this crisis began.
What is Save the Children doing about it?
Save the Children operates in many of the countries most exposed to this crisis — including Yemen, Sudan, Afghanistan, Syria, and across East Africa. Our teams provide emergency nutrition support, therapeutic food for severely malnourished children, and cash assistance to help families afford food. A regular monthly gift is the most reliable way to ensure we can act quickly when children need it most.
When will the crisis be resolved?
That is genuinely uncertain. Iran has demonstrated the capacity to control the Strait of Hormuz, and no plausible military option can reliably reverse that in the near term. What is needed is both a sustained multinational effort and a diplomatic solution. Neither appears imminent as of April 2026.
If you’d like to support Save the Children’s emergency response, a regular monthly gift means we could reach children faster when crises like this unfold.
