The Strait of Hormuz is a data problem, not just a military one

U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in February 2026 caused oil shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to collapse by 97%, with 800+ ships idled and 128 million barrels stranded. The incident reveals that maritime data infrastructure—AIS transponders and GPS signals—has become compromised through spoofing and jamming, exposing a critical vulnerability in the systems used by insurers, commodity traders, and central banks to price risk and enforce sanctions.