40 Ships, 18 Million Barrels Of Oil: Why The US Is Guarding Hormuz

The Strait of Hormuz has become the centre of a high-stakes US-Iran confrontation. In a major operation, US forces escorted 40 commercial vessels carrying around 18 million barrels of oil through the strategic waterway, while American forces struck nearly 60 Iranian military targets nearby. The operation involved defending ships against drone attacks and targeting Iranian radar, air-defence and mine-laying capabilities. With Washington claiming strong control over Hormuz and Tehran still challenging that claim, what does the operation mean for global oil supplies? Credits: Utkarsh Singh Sisodia, Ayush Jain