Iran War: How the Strait of Hormuz Grounded an Airline

How did the Iran war ground an American airline? When Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz in March 2026, Brent crude hit $118, jet fuel nearly doubled, and on 2 May Spirit Airlines stopped flying. In this first Chokepoints episode, we explain the two sea gates that decide what the world pays for oil, gas and goods: the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the mouth of the Red Sea. Both were hit in 2026. Only one has a way around. When the Red Sea became dangerous, ships rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope. It cost about two extra weeks and up to $2 million in fuel per voyage, but the goods still arrived. Hormuz has no such detour. About 20 million barrels of oil a day, a quarter of all seaborne oil trade, and 93% of Qatar's LNG exports pass through two shipping lanes each two miles wide. The bypass pipelines through Saudi Arabia and the UAE can carry only a fraction of that. We follow the 2026 Iran war oil shock step by step: the closure of the strait, the strike on Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG complex, the spike in oil and LNG prices, the ceasefire, and why tanker traffic and insurance did not snap back. Then we ask the question every business should ask of its own supply chain: is your chokepoint a cost problem or an availability problem? This video is analysis of shipping, energy markets and supply chains. It is not financial or investment advice. CHAPTERS 0:00 How the Iran war grounded an airline 1:27 Strait of Hormuz vs Bab el-Mandeb 3:35 Red Sea crisis: the chokepoint with a detour 5:39 Strait of Hormuz: the chokepoint without one 7:57 2026 Iran war: the oil and LNG shock 10:27 Oil prices after the ceasefire 11:25 The principle: cost problem or availability problem? Sources: International Energy Agency; US Energy Information Administration; Lloyd's List Intelligence; Windward; Ballast Markets; reporting on the 2026 Iran war fuel crisis and Spirit Airlines. #IranWar #StraitOfHormuz #OilPrices #SupplyChain #SpiritAirlines #Shipping #Geopolitics #ProfitAndLore #RedSea #BabElMandeb #QatarLNG #JetFuel