By JON GAMBRELL and MAE ANDERSON

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The widening war in Iran has ground tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to a halt and oil prices have soared, highlighting the important role the narrow passageway plays in global energy supply.

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The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which about a fifth of the world’s oil passes. Tankers traveling through the strait, which is bordered in the north by Iran, carry oil and gas from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE and Iran. Most of that oil goes to Asia.

Any disruption to traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is highly disruptive to the oil trade.

“The scale of what is at stake cannot be overstated,” said Hakan Kaya, senior portfolio manager at investment management firm Neuberger Berman. He said a partial slowdown lasting a week or two could be absorbed by oil companies. But a full or near full closure lasting a month or more would push crude oil prices, trading around $80 on Tuesday, “well into triple digits” and European natural gas prices “toward or above the crisis levels seen in 2022.”

Here’s what to know about the strait and the widening Iran war.

A key waterway for global shipping

The Strait of Hormuz is a bending waterway, about 21 miles wide at its narrowest point. It connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. From there, ships can then travel to the rest of the world. While Iran and Oman have their territorial waters in the strait, it’s viewed as an international waterway all ships can ply. The United Arab Emirates, home to the skyscraper-studded city of Dubai, also sits near the waterway.

In this image provided by Sepahnews of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard on Feb. 16, 2026, shows the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s drill in the Persian Gulf on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (Sepahnews via AP)

The strait long has been important for trade

The Strait of Hormuz through history has been important for trade, with ceramics, ivory, silk and textiles moving from China through the region. In the modern era, it is the route for supertankers carrying oil and gas from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE and Iran. The vast majority of it goes to markets in Asia, including Iran’s only remaining oil customer, China.

While there are pipelines in Saudi Arabia and the UAE that can avoid the passage, the U.S. Energy Information Administration says “most volumes that transit the strait have no alternative means of exiting the region.”

Threats to the route have spiked global energy prices in the past, including during the Israel-Iran war in June.

In this image provided by Sepahnews of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard on Feb. 16, 2026, shows troops standing at attention during the guard’s drill in the Persian Gulf on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (Sepahnews via AP)

Is the strait closed?

Iran has attacked several ships Strait of Hormuz and threatened any ships who try to pass through, effectively closing it.

“The Strait of Hormuz is closed,” declared Iranian Brig. Gen. Ebrahim Jabbari, an adviser to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, vowing that any ships that passed through it would be set on fire.

Previously, Iran temporarily shut down parts of the strait in mid-February for what it said was a military drill. Oil prices jumped about 6% in the following days.

In past times of tension and conflict, Iran has at times harassed shipping though the narrows, and during the 1980s’ Iran-Iraq war, both sides attacked tankers and other vessels, using naval mines to completely shut down traffic at points. But Iran had not carried out repeated threats to close the waterway altogether since the 1980s, even during last year’s 12-day war when Israel and the U.S. bombarded Iran’s key nuclear and military sites.

In this image provided by Sepahnews of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard on Feb. 16, 2026, shows the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s drill in the Persian Gulf on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (Sepahnews via AP)

Global shippers suspend operations

Global shippers have issued service alerts saying they have suspended operations in the area. Danish shipping company Maersk, the world’s biggest shipping company, said Sunday it is suspending all vessel crossings in the Strait of Hormuz until further notice. Other ocean carriers including Hapag-Lloyd, CMA-CGM and MSC made similar announcements.

“No one is wanting to navigate it, and there’s no insurer who’s willing to stand behind any transport going through there right now.,” said Tom Goldsby, logistics chairman in the Supply Chain Management Department at the University of Tennessee. “Those ships that got stuck in the Gulf are not going anywhere. … There’s also a whole host of ships that were heading into the Gulf to replace them, and of course they’re anchored or going elsewhere now.”

Data and analytics firm Kplr estimated on Monday there were 70 laden oil tankers and 75 clean tankers, which carry refined oil products, in the Mideast Gulf, seemingly waiting to pass through. That’s roughly twice as many as usual, according to Kplr. Meanwhile, about 60 tankers are sitting just outside the Mideast Gulf, east of the Strait of Hormuz, in a holding pattern.

Anderson reported from New York.

By STEFANIE DAZIO

BERLIN (AP) — Tens of thousands of people, from Romanian religious pilgrims to tourists and diplomats’ family members, are stranded across the Middle East as the Iran war spreads throughout the region.

Major airlines have canceled flights to and from the region, and airspace across the Gulf is closed. Some of those who are stuck have been forced to seek shelter amid airstrikes, while others are stuck on cruise ships that currently cannot sail through the Strait of Hormuz.

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In a major move Monday, the U.S. State Department urged all U.S. citizens to leave more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries over the safety risk with the ongoing escalations that have dragged the region into significant chaos.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar said on social platform X that Americans in countries including Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Israel should “DEPART NOW” using any available commercial transportation.

The State Department has also evacuated non-emergency personnel and families in six nations, adding the United Arab Emirates to its list Tuesday. The UAE, home to Dubai and Abu Dhabi and long considered a safe corner of the Middle East, has been dragged into the Iran war with interceptions and attacks.

In Israel, meanwhile, the U.S. ambassador told Americans there that the best way to leave is through Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.

Mike Huckabee wrote on social media early Tuesday that the embassy was receiving lots of evacuation requests as embassy staff “are sheltering in place.”

“There are VERY LIMITED options,” he wrote. “Not sure when Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv will reopen.” He advised Americans to take buses to the Egyptian resorts of Sharm el-Sheikh and Taba in southern Sinai.

Governments try to get their citizens home

Governments worldwide are scrambling to repatriate their citizens.

In Italy, the government has assisted with flights to Milan and Rome in the wake of mounting criticism against Defense Minister Guido Crosetto. The minister sparked a political controversy at home after being stuck in Dubai with his family during the initial phase of the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran.

An overseas Filipino worker sleeps as she waits for updates on her canceled flight to the Middle East at Manila’s International Airport, Philippines on Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Crosetto returned to Rome on Sunday on a military aircraft. The left-wing opposition has called for Crosetto’s resignation, saying he should not have traveled to the Middle East during a crisis. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni has defended him.

An estimated 30,000 German tourists remained on cruise ships, in hotels or at closed airports in the Middle East, and the first plane from Dubai to Frankfurt, Germany, was expected to land Tuesday afternoon.

The German government is also seeking to charter planes at taxpayer expense to get vulnerable people — including ill travelers, children and pregnant people — back home.

France is also trying to organize the return of thousands of French people, the country’s foreign affairs minister said Tuesday. An estimated 200,000 French people live in the region affected by the conflict, and authorities believe roughly 25,000 French citizens are currently visiting the area.

A man works beside a parked Emirates plane at Manila’s International Airport, Philippines on Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Returning travelers feel relief

Early Tuesday, Romanian tourists arrived in Bucharest after traveling from Israel to Cairo to escape the conflict. Hundreds of Romanian Orthodox Church pilgrims were stranded in Israel while visiting Bethlehem on a trip led by Romanian priests when the war broke out. The group was forced to cut their trip short and return to Romania.

Pilgrim Mariana Muicaru said she was terrified during her time in Israel as rockets flew across the sky.

“We called our children at 3 a.m. to ask forgiveness because we might die and to tell them we love them and to let them know that it’s over for us,” she told The Associated Press.

Antonia, 5 years old, sits on suitcases upon arriving at the Henri Coanda International airport after being evacuated from Israel via Egypt on a commercial flight in Otopeni, Romania, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

The previous night, British travelers who were trapped in the United Arab Emirates were relieved to land safely in London’s Heathrow Airport.

Adam Barton, who was traveling with his family from Abu Dhabi, said he was getting alerts as he was in the airport before he left.

“We had an alert on our phone, saying to get away from the windows for potential missile attacks,” Barton told Sky News.

A flight from Dubai, meanwhile, landed in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, on early Tuesday morning with roughly 200 passengers.

One traveler told the state RTS broadcaster he’d been in a hotel waiting and was given 15 minutes to pack.

Samuel Petrequin in Paris, Giada Zampano in Rome, Nicolae Dumitrache in Bucharest, Romania, Samy Magdy in Cairo, and Jovana Gec in Belgrade, Serbia, contributed to this report.

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The average price for a gallon of gasoline jumped 11 cents overnight to about $3.11 in the U.S., according to motor club AAA.

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Gas prices were already rising before the U.S. launched strikes on Iran as refiners switch over to summer blends of fuel, but crude futures have risen sharply this week because of the war.

On Tuesday, oil futures soared to levels not seen in more than a year as Iran launched a series of retaliatory attacks, including a drone strike on the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia.

Benchmark U.S. crude jumped 8.6% to $77.36 a barrel.

Brent crude, the international standard, added 6.7% to $81.29 a barrel. Global oil prices jumped to start the week over concerns that the war will clog the global flow of crude.

By MUNIR AHMED and ABDUL QAHAR AFGHAN

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Afghan forces attacked Pakistani military positions along the border early on Tuesday, triggering intense clashes that left 67 Afghan troops and one Pakistani soldier dead, officials in Islamabad said as cross-border fighting between the two countries entered its fifth day.

The Taliban defense ministry in Kabul, the Afghan capital, rejected Pakistan’s claim. A ministry spokesman said Afghan forces in the past 24 hours repelled Pakistani attacks, destroying about a dozen military posts and killing four Pakistani soldiers.

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The latest Afghan-Pakistan escalation erupted last week with Afghanistan launching attacks on Thursday in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes the previous weekend. Since then, Pakistan has carried out operations along the border and declared it was in an “open war” with Afghanistan, alarming the international community.

On Tuesday, Pakistan said Afghan forces attacked Pakistan’s military in two sections of the two countries’ border.

It said 16 locations were attacked along the southern part of the border, in the southwestern districts of Qilla Saifullah, Nushki and Chaman in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.

Pakistani troops killed 27 members of the Afghan forces there and “successfully repelled these multiple attacks,” Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said.

Tarar said on X that another wave of attacks hit 25 locations along the northern part of the border, in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where Pakistani troops killed 40 members of the Afghan security forces. The spokesman did not say where the Pakistani soldier was killed.

In Kabul, defense ministry spokesman Enayatullah Khawarazmi slammed the Islamabad statements as “baseless.”

The border area — where militant groups, including al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, are also active — is not accessible to the media and the Associated Press could not independently confirm any casualty reports.

In past escalations and cross-border exchanges of fire, Pakistan and Afghanistan have both repeatedly claimed to inflicting heavy losses on the other side.

In the five days of fighting, Tarar said Pakistani forces have so far killed 464 Afghan security force members and injured 665. Khawarazmi said in a statement that so far, 28 Afghan soldiers have died and 42 others have been wounded in the fighting.

Smoke emits from the Afghan side as trucks are parked along roadside following cross-border clashes between Pakistan and Afghan forces, at near Torkham border crossing point, Pakistan, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Maaz Awan)

Islamabad has long accused Kabul of providing a safe haven to militants fighting the Pakistani government — charges that Afghanistan’s Taliban government denies.

Khawarazmi reiterated that stand on Tuesday. “I repeat once again that we will not allow any person or group to use our territory against other countries,” he said.

Separately, Hamdullah Fitrat, the Afghan government’s deputy spokesman, accused Pakistan of violating Afghan airspace and targeting homes, mosques, religious schools or madrasas and other civilian targets in Kabul, Laghman, Nangarhar, Paktia, Kandahar and Kunar provinces, as well as targeting refugee camps.

He said these attacks have resulted in the death of 110 civilians, including 65 women and children.

Fitrat said the Taliban government of Afghanistan considers its “legitimate right” to protect their people and will “fight against the enemy … until this aggression is stopped.”

Meanwhile, the U.N. mission in Kabul called for an immediate halt to the fighting, warning that the conflict is worsening Afghanistan’s dire humanitarian situation. According to its preliminary figures, since last Thursday, at least 42 civilians have been killed and 104 injured, including women and children.

On Monday, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari defended the ongoing fighting with Afghanistan, saying Islamabad had tried all forms of diplomacy before targeting militants operating from Afghan territory.

He asked Kabul to disarm groups responsible for attacks in Pakistan.

Pakistan has experienced a surge in violence in recent months, which it blames on the outlawed Pakistani Taliban — known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. Islamabad says the TTP operates from Afghan territory and have the protection of Afghanistan’s Taliban government. Kabul denies the accusations.

The latest fighting has ended a ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkey in October. Talks in Istanbul failed to produce a permanent agreement, and Pakistan has said that operations will continue until Afghanistan takes verifiable steps to rein in the TTP and other militants.

The Pakistani Taliban are a separate group but allied with the Afghan Taliban and since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, the TTP has become emboldened and escalated its attacks in Pakistan.

Abdul Qahar Afghan reported from Kabul, Afghanistan. Associated Press writer Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan, contributed to this report.