Strait of Hormuz Blockade and Other Major Naval Sieges in Modern Times | US-Israel war against Iran News

The Street of HormuzA narrow waterway that once carried about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas remains effectively closed after the United States and Iran imposed competition blockages.

Naval blockades are one of the oldest weapons in warfare, requiring no ground troops or invasion, just the ability to cut off what an enemy needs to survive. These blockades have reshaped economies, societies, and alliances over generations, sometimes with immediate shock waves, sometimes with effects that are not seen until later.

From Israel’s ongoing siege of the Gaza Strip to blockades during World War I, here are some notable naval blockades in modern history:

Israel’s siege of Gaza (2007-present)

Israel’s complete land, sea and air blockade of the Gaza Strip is one of the longest sieges in modern history.

Launched in 2007, Israel has restricted the entry of goods and essential supplies, causing a protracted humanitarian and economic crisis for the Strip’s 2.3 million people, who cannot travel freely.

Before Israel’s genocidal war against Gaza began in October 2023, fishermen was limited to 6-15 nautical miles (11-28km) from the coast, well below the 20 nautical mile (37km) zone guaranteed by the Oslo Accords.

After 2023, with Israel’s policy of starving the population, fishermen took extreme measures to feed their families, resulting in many being killed by Israeli fire.

Since 2008, several Freedom Flotilla vessels tried to break the Israeli blockade. Since 2010, all flotillas attempting to break the Gaza blockade have been intercepted or attacked by Israel in international waters.

On April 30, Israel raid 22 out of the 58 vessels in the most recent Global Sumud Flotilla campaign in international waters more than 1,000 km (620 miles) from Gaza.

Blockade of Biafra (1967-70)

During the Nigerian Civil Warbeginning in July 1967, the Nigerian federal government imposed a land, sea and air blockade on the breakaway Republic of Biafra shortly after it declared independence.

The blockade led to widespread starvation, widely seen as a deliberate wartime strategy, turning a territorial conflict into a global humanitarian crisis. The death toll varies, but it is estimated that one to two million people died, the vast majority from starvation and disease rather than direct conflict.

The nearly three-year blockade ended with the Biafran surrender in January 1970.

Beira Patrol blockade (1966-75):

The Beira Patrol was a nine-year blockade by the British Navy to prevent oil from reaching Rhodesia, present-day Zimbabwe, through the Mozambican port of Beira, imposed under United Nations sanctions following Rhodesia’s unilateral declaration of independence.

The blockade largely failed in its strategic purpose. Rhodesia continued to receive oil via South Africa and other Mozambican ports, which the UN resolution did not authorize the British navy to intercept.

Moreover, the cost to the United Kingdom was significant. The operation tied up 76 naval ships over nine years, with two frigates required on station at all times.

The blockade ended in July 1975, when Mozambique’s newly gained independence from Portugal allowed it to credibly commit to blocking oil shipments to Rhodesia, rendering the naval patrol redundant.

Cuban Missile Crisis ‘Quarantine’ (1962)

In October 1962, the US ordered a naval “quarantine” of Cuba after US U-2 spy planes discovered Soviet nuclear missile sites built on the island.

The US deliberately called it a “quarantine” rather than a blockade, which would legally have been an act of war, in order to prevent the Soviets from bringing in more military supplies and to pressure them to remove the missiles already there.

The quarantine drew a line 500 nautical miles (920 km) from Cuba’s coast, with US warships authorized to stop, search and turn back if necessary any vessels carrying offensive weapons.

The crisis brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. Then-Soviet First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev called the blockade “outright piracy” and an act of aggression, and initially ordered ships to proceed. For several days, Soviet vessels steamed toward the quarantine line as the world watched.

The most dangerous phase of the battle lasted 13 days. An agreement was reached in which the Soviets would dismantle their offensive weapons in Cuba in exchange for an American public declaration not to invade Cuba, and a secret agreement to remove American Jupiter missiles from Turkey.

The naval quarantine was formally ended on 20 November 1962 after all offensive missiles and bombers were withdrawn.

Blockade of Wonsan (1951-53)

During the Korean War, US-led UN naval forces imposed a blockade of the North Korean port of Wonsan in February 1951, which lasted nearly two and a half years.

It aimed to deny the North Korean navy access to the city, which was strategically important for its major port, airfield and petroleum refinery.

The blockade was preceded by a dangerous mine clearance operation in October 1950. North Korean forces were well supplied with sea mines by the Soviet Union and China, and during the clearance, the destroyers USS Pledge and USS Pirate were sunk, killing 12 men and wounding dozens.

The operation successfully contained North Korean and Chinese forces on the east coast, forcing them to divert thousands of troops and artillery pieces away from the front line. UN forces also captured several harbor islands, strengthening the blockade’s grip on the port.

The blockade ended after 861 days with the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement in July 1953. By then, Allied naval fire had nearly leveled Wonsan.

US submarine blockade of Japan (1942-45)

The US imposed a submarine blockade against Japan during the Pacific War.

The blockade began to take shape in 1942, combining U.S. Navy submarine attacks on merchant shipping with minelaying operations to cripple Japan’s warfighting capabilities, disrupt shipping, and cut off vital supplies such as food and fuel.

As an island nation, Japan was particularly vulnerable, almost entirely dependent on imports of oil, rubber and raw materials. Its economy and military could not function without open sea lanes.

During the course of the war, American submarines sank about 1,300 Japanese merchant ships and about 200 warships. By 1945 oil imports had effectively ceased.

Food imports collapsed, causing significant shortages and malnutrition across Japan by 1945, although the extent of civilian starvation is disputed.

After the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima on August 6 and Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, Japan announced its surrender on August 15, ending the blockade and the Pacific War.

Blockade of the Eastern Mediterranean (1915-18)

In August 1915, during World War I, the Allied powers imposed a blockade of the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea to cut off military supplies and weaken the Ottoman Empire’s war effort.

The declared area stretched from the junction of the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Egyptian border in the south. The blockade was started by Britain and France, later assisted by Italy and other Allied powers.

The consequences were devastating. Military supplies, ammunition, oil, food and medicine were all targeted. The food crisis was exacerbated by a plague of locusts in 1915 and a severe drought, which contributed to severe famine across Lebanon and Greater Syria.

Reports indicate that by 1918 the famine had resulted in 500,000 deaths, mostly civilians, with Mount Lebanon losing an estimated one-third of its population. Mass migration followed.

The blockade remained in place throughout the war and was only lifted when the Allied forces occupied Beirut and Mount Lebanon in October 1918.

Allied Blockade of Germany (1914-19)

The British Navy began blockading Germany almost immediately after the outbreak of war in August 1914.

The naval blockade stretched from the English Channel to Norway and cut off Germany from the oceans.

Britain exploited international waters to prevent ships from entering the sea, creating danger even for neutral vessels.

Germany responded by declaring the seas around the British Isles a “military zone”, prompting Britain and France to ban all goods to and from Germany.

The most devastating result of the blockade was famine. The winter of 1916-17, known as the Turnip Winter, was one of the most difficult years in wartime Germany.

The blockade cut off food and fertilizer imports, a failed potato crop left little to fall back on, and a collapse in food distribution exacerbated the crisis. It is estimated that between 424,000 and 763,000 civilians died from diseases related to hunger and malnutrition.

The blockade was not fully lifted until July 1919, after the Treaty of Versailles was signed.