Countries and companies have been negotiating with the Iranian authorities to secure passage. Some patterns are emerging.

US officials are furiously trying to avert a potential months-long closure of the Strait of Hormuz, privately acknowledging that reopening the key waterway is a problem without a clear solution and dependent at least in part on what lengths President Donald Trump is willing to go to force the Iranian regime’s hand,

Iran's critical location and its arsenal of drones and missiles are a challenge. Its stranglehold on the Strait has rattled global oil markets.

About 90 ships including oil tankers have crossed the Strait of Hormuz since the beginning of the war with Iran.

DUBAI, March 19 (Reuters) - Iran is considering a proposal to levy transit fees on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a lawmaker said on Thursday, a potential bid to monetise Tehran's newfound grip over the critical waterway through which a fifth of global oil and liquefied gas passes.

U.S. warplanes and attack helicopters are hitting Iranian targets in an effort to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, officials said. The price of oil remained high as new strikes hit Gulf energy facilities.

The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran war has choked global oil supply. Two key alternatives remain, though any disruption to them could make moving oil out of the Arabian Peninsula "virtually impossible,

March 20 (Reuters) - Insurance giant Chubb said on Friday its maritime insurance facility will now be available to ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz where traffic has been paralyzed due to the U.S.