Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, closed to shipping since late February 2026, calling the standoff a threat to global stability. Turkey is meanwhile restoring the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline with Iraq as a partial hedge against the lost Gulf supply.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula that has stayed closed to commercial shipping since late February 2026. Speaking to Al Jazeera on August 15, he framed the prolonged closure as a threat to global stability, not just a regional dispute.
The strait typically carries 20-25% of the world's seaborne oil trade and roughly 20% of global liquefied natural gas shipments, so its closure has forced tankers onto longer routes for nearly six months.
Six months of blocked shipping
Iran restricted commercial shipping through the strait beginning February 28, 2026, following military strikes carried out by the US and Israel against Iranian targets. Tehran has set conditions for reopening that include compensation for war-related damages, a demand that has stalled diplomatic efforts and left tankers anchored or rerouted.
Turkey offered assistance with demining the strait in July 2026, positioning Ankara as a mediator rather than a bystander. Erdogan's latest comments extend that role, with Turkey apparently working alongside Qatar to broker talks between Iran and the countries that struck it.
Turkey's pipeline hedge
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 can carry 750,000 barrels per day, a volume that could offset part of the supply lost from the Hormuz closure.
Ceyhan's Mediterranean location gives European buyers a more direct path for crude oil, bypassing the longer route around Africa's Cape of Good Hope that Gulf shipments now require. Iran's compensation demand still keeps the core dispute unresolved, and neither the US nor Israel has shown willingness to meet Tehran's terms.
Source: Crypto Briefing
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