July 26, 1956… Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser gave a long speech in Alexandria. He took the name of French engineer Ferdinand de Lesseps and declared occupation of the Suez Canal. Thousands of Egyptian soldiers occupied the company’s offices. Nasser said the canal’s profits now belong to Egypt. The reason for this was America and Britain reneging on the promise in which there was talk of building a dam in Egypt. The closure of Suez deepened the oil crisis across the world. Something similar is happening now after 70 years. America and Israel are also included in this, but Britain and France are also included. How history is repeating itself after 70 years, let’s understand in the explainer…

Question 1: What is the blockade status of the Strait of Hormuz today?

answer: Iran has completely closed the Strait of Hormuz. This waterway connects the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea and 20 percent of the world’s oil passes through this route. Iran says that this blockade will not be lifted until Israeli and American attacks stop. The result is that thousands of ships are stranded, shipping companies are halting traffic, oil prices are skyrocketing and global trade is at a standstill. This is similar to the Suez crisis of 1956, when the closure of a small waterway cut off the lifeline of trade between Asia, Europe and America.

Question 2: What was the Suez crisis of 1956 and how did it start?

answer: 26 July 1956… Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal Company. This company belonged to Britain and France and the canal was on Egyptian land. Nasser said that now the toll tax that will come from the canal will be used in Egypt’s Aswan Dam Project, which was being built to control the floods of the Nile River. Britain, France and Israel could not tolerate this.

On October 29, 1956, Israel attacked Sinai. Then Britain and France landed troops in the name of ‘saving the canal’. The real objective was to remove Nasser and capture the canal. Oil tanks near the canal caught fire, smoke rose into the sky, and front page headlines dominated newspapers around the world for months.

Question 3: How did the Suez crisis end in 1956?

answer: On 2 November 1956, The Times of India published on the front page ‘Britain Paralyzes Suez Shipping’. There was an uproar in the British Parliament, opposition Labor Party MPs demanded the resignation of the then Prime Minister Anthony Eden. The resolution was passed by a 7-2 vote in the United Nations (UN) Security Council. America put economic pressure on Britain and the Soviet Union (now Russia) gave a strict warning. There was a ceasefire in November 1956.

UN sent the world’s first peacekeeping force. By the end of December 1956, British and French troops left Egypt. Israel kept its troops in Gaza until March 1957, then withdrew under UN pressure. The canal reopened in April 1957. The first British ship passed toll to Egypt on 19 April 1957. France continued the boycott for some time, but eventually relented due to expensive shipping costs.

Question 4: Why are Suez crisis and Hormuz crisis similar?

answer: In both crises, the closure of a small waterway broke the backbone of global trade. In 1956, the Suez Canal was closed for more than five months. Similarly, in 2026, the Hormuz Blockade has trapped thousands of ships, but the biggest twist is that in 1956, America and the Soviet Union stood against Britain-France-Israel and got a resolution passed in the UN Security Council.

After 70 years, Iran, along with America and Russia, has sought exactly the same resolution in the UN Security Council. That is, an emergency general assembly should be called to stop Israel and America’s attacks on Iran. Today Iran and Russia stand together, whereas in 1956 America was not supporting the old European imperialism.

In 1956, India wholeheartedly supported the UN resolution. The then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had written a letter to UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld saying, ‘It is clear and accepted that Israel has carried out large-scale attacks against Egypt. Instead of stopping this crisis, Britain and France themselves are attacking Egyptian soil.

However, today India is maintaining a balanced stance. India’s oil imports are being affected due to the closure of Hormuz, because we are the third largest oil importer in the world. If the crisis continues for a long time, petrol and diesel may become expensive, the rupee may weaken and pressure on the economy may increase, but today India is in favor of peace and diplomacy.

Question 5: So will Hormuz also open soon like Suez?

answer: Foreign expert and NEHU professor Prosenjit Biswas believes that in 1956, the UN had a lot of power at the international level. After the resolution was passed, peacekeeping forces were immediately sent, but in the spring of 2026 the situation of the UN is different. Now the countries with veto power are more active and decision making has become complicated. The effectiveness of the UN appears to be less in 2026 compared to 1956. Yet both crises prove that the small waterways of Hormuz, Suez and Bab al-Mandab are still the world’s biggest weakness. If these chokepoints are affected simultaneously, the global economy could come to a complete halt. Countries like India will now have to think seriously about alternative routes, strategies and energy security.

Prosenjit Biswas says, ‘The Hormuz Blockade is reminiscent of the Suez Crisis of 1956 because both proved that closing a small waterway can change the fate of the entire world. The old European imperialism was defeated in 1956. The direction in which the new powers are going in 2026 will be decided in the next few weeks.