CBS News took a boat into the Strait of Hormuz. Here's what we saw.

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It took weeks of readying to find a mode into the Strait of Hormuz.

We studied maps. Talked done scenarios. How we would get in. How we would get out. Who we could telephone if thing went wrong. And what would hap if we ran into occupation on the way.

Our program was to scope 1 of the strait's narrowest points. Close capable to see, for ourselves, the oil tankers and cargo ships that had been backing up determination for weeks.

When a ceasefire betwixt the United States, Israel, and Iran, brokered by Pakistan, came into effect, we made the call. The first circular of talks successful Islamabad had failed. But the truce was mostly holding, and for a moment, the hazard felt manageable.

Iran says Strait of Hormuz is "completely open" to each ships amid an Israel-Lebanon ceasefire. CBS News sent Senior Foreign Correspondent @ImtiazTyab to the strait to spot if that was true. Here's what helium saw. #iran #news pic.twitter.com/ymcHPJfB25

— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 17, 2026

We crossed from 1 Gulf state into different and yet recovered ourselves connected a coastal roadworthy that felt astir excessively beauteous for the tensions that laic conscionable offshore.

On 1 broadside were jagged mountains rising consecutive retired of the earth, wholly bare of vegetation. On the other, wide bluish h2o stretched retired into the Gulf.

And then, arsenic the roadworthy curved, we saw the ships. Not 1 oregon two, but dozens. Sitting still. Waiting.

Accessing the Strait of Hormuz

It is casual to forget, looking astatine that agelong of water, that roughly 20% of the world's oil passes done it. The strait became a unit constituent successful the warfare betwixt the U.S. and Iran, turning into a choke constituent for the global economy.

Since the unit escalated, entree to the waterway has been tightly controlled. Journalists are not meant to beryllium connected these waters.

So we tried different way.

At a tiny port, posing arsenic tourists, we asked around. Quietly.

That is wherever we met Sharif. His existent sanction is not being used. Sharif is from Egypt and has spent decades moving on this coastline. In mean times, helium told us, tourists would beryllium lining up for him to instrumentality them connected trips retired to sea. Now, determination was astir nary one.

After immoderate negotiating, helium agreed to instrumentality us. We paid $120 for 2 hours.

His vessel was a accepted dhow: Wooden, worn, painted brown. The benignant that has been utilized successful these waters for generations. Inside, embroidered cushions lined the seats.

We climbed aboard.

A affable encounter

Out connected the water, the archetypal happening that strikes you is however calm it each feels.

The oversea is flat. The coastline melodramatic but still. For a moment, it is hard to reconcile what you are seeing with everything you cognize astir what is happening here.

Then the dolphins appeared. They came up alongside the vessel and stayed with us, weaving done the wake, rising and dipping successful the sunlight.

And then, beyond them, the ships. We did not person to spell acold to spot them. Within minutes, they appeared: Tankers, cargo vessels, each sitting idle.

We didn't situation get to adjacent to them. A constabulary vas was intelligibly disposable successful the distance. But, astatine 1 point, a crewman connected a what looked similar a cargo vessel raised his hand.

We waved back.

He flashed a bid sign.

Iran and the U.S. combat for control

The calm connected the strait's aboveground does not bespeak the world underneath.

In caller weeks, Iran has moved to asseverate power implicit who tin walk done the waterway and has reportedly mined portion of it. At the aforesaid time, the United States has imposed a naval blockade targeting ships entering oregon leaving Iranian ports, portion of a broader effort to unit Tehran's ain vigor exports aft negotiations broke down.

The effect is not a elemental closure. It is thing much complicated.

Some ships are moving. Others are waiting. Many are hedging, delaying, oregon turning backmost altogether.

For the planetary economy, adjacent that level of disruption matters. A constrictive waterway, carrying a 5th of the world's oil, does not request to afloat unopen down to nonstop shockwaves done markets.

New agreements don't needfully mean stability

When our clip connected the dhow was up, we turned backmost toward shore.

We thanked Sharif. Paid him. Watched arsenic helium prepared to caput retired again if different lawsuit appeared.

On the thrust back, our phones started lighting up.

Iran's overseas minister, Abbas Araghchi, announced that the strait would beryllium afloat reopened to commercialized shipping during a ceasefire linked to fighting successful Lebanon. That agreement, a 10-day intermission betwixt Israel and Lebanon, is portion of a broader effort to halt the struggle from spreading further.

At the aforesaid time, President Trump signaled that U.S. unit connected Iran, including the naval blockade, would stay successful spot unless a wider woody is reached.

Some ships person already started moving again. But here, question does not needfully mean stableness oregon a instrumentality to normal.

The strait whitethorn beryllium open, astatine slightest for now. But transition is inactive controlled. The risks person not disappeared. And the ceasefires that are holding things unneurotic are temporary.

If a broader statement comes together, this infinitesimal whitethorn people the highest of 1 of the astir volatile periods for planetary vigor successful years.

If it does not, what we saw retired connected the h2o whitethorn go the caller normal: Ships waiting. Others moving carefully. Everyone adjusting successful existent time.

In the Strait of Hormuz, adjacent the calmest h2o tin beryllium atop thing acold much fragile.

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