Stranded in the Strait of Hormuz episode artwork

EPISODE · May 29, 2026 · 28 MIN

Stranded in the Strait of Hormuz

from The Daily · host Deborah Lebree

While the United States and Iran have each signaled that they may be making progress toward a peace deal, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. Thousands of crew members have been stranded in the shipping channel since the war broke out three months ago. Two seafarers who got stuck in the strait explain what it is like to be trapped in a war zone, and what it would mean to get everyone out. Guest: Capt. Virendra Vishwakarma, who managed to leave the Strait of Hormuz, and Aung Thu Khant, a seafarer who is still stuck. Background reading:  Read the latest updates on the war in Iran.Thousands of civilian sailors have been stranded in waters surrounded by a conflict zone because of the war. Photo: Reuters For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

While the United States and Iran have each signaled that they may be making progress toward a peace deal, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. Thousands of crew members have been stranded in the shipping channel since the war broke out three months ago. Two seafarers who got stuck in the strait explain what it is like to be trapped in a war zone, and what it would mean to get everyone out. Guest: Capt. Virendra Vishwakarma, who managed to leave the Strait of Hormuz, and Aung Thu Khant, a seafarer who is still stuck. Background reading:  Read the latest updates on the war in Iran.Thousands of civilian sailors have been stranded in waters surrounded by a conflict zone because of the war. Photo: Reuters For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Stranded in the Strait of Hormuz

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This episode was published on May 29, 2026.

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While the United States and Iran have each signaled that they may be making progress toward a peace deal, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. Thousands of crew members have been stranded in the shipping channel since the war broke out three months...

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