Turkey calls for reopening of Strait of Hormuz to resume global oil flows

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow chokepoint between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula that has been closed to commercial shipping since late February 2026. In an interview with Al Jazeera on August 15, Erdogan framed the prolonged blockage as a threat to global stability, not just a regional dispute.

The Strait of Hormuz typically handles 20-25% of the world’s seaborne oil trade and roughly 20% of global liquefied natural gas shipments.

Nearly six months of closure

Iran restricted commercial shipping through the strait beginning February 28, 2026, following military strikes carried out by the US and Israel against Iranian targets. Iran has set conditions for reopening that include compensation for war-related damages, a demand that has complicated diplomatic efforts and kept tankers anchored or rerouted.

Turkey offered assistance with demining efforts in the strait back in July 2026, a gesture that positioned Ankara as a willing mediator rather than a passive observer. Erdogan’s latest comments deepen that posture, with Turkey apparently working alongside Qatar to facilitate negotiations between the involved parties.

Turkey’s pipeline play

In early August 2026, Turkey and Iraq signed a one-year agreement to restore the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline, which runs from northern Iraq’s oil fields to Turkey’s Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. The pipeline has a capacity of 750,000 barrels per day, a meaningful volume that could partially offset some of the supply lost from the Hormuz closure.

Ceyhan, as a Mediterranean export terminal, offers a direct path to European buyers who might otherwise depend on Gulf shipments transiting the long route around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope.

The question is whether Iran will budge. Tehran’s demand for war damage compensation creates a negotiating impasse that neither the US nor Israel has shown eagerness to resolve on Iran’s terms. Qatar’s involvement as a mediator adds a Gulf perspective to talks, but the core dispute remains between Iran and the countries that struck its territory.

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