FACTBOX-The Strait of Hormuz, Iran and the risk to oil

(Reuters) - Five Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats provoked three U.S. Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil shipping route off the Iranian coast, over the weekend, CNN reported on Monday.

Analysts say Iran, OPEC's second largest crude oil producer, could seek to impede traffic through the strategic waterway if the United States resorts to military action against the Islamic Republic over its disputed nuclear programme.

U.S. naval chiefs are concerned Iran could resort to mining the strait and the wider Gulf in a major conflict.

The sea channel which shares Iran's coastline at the entrance to the Gulf is the world's most important waterway because of the huge volume of oil exported through it daily.

-- Oil flows through the Strait account for roughly 40 percent of all globally traded oil supply, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The figure fluctuates with changing OPEC output.

-- In May, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated 13.4 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude passing through the narrow channel on tankers, down from 16-17 million bpd before a round of OPEC production cuts.

-- An additional 2 million barrels of oil products, including fuel oil, are exported through the passage daily as well as liquefied natural gas.

-- Exports from the world's largest liquefied natural gas exporter Qatar also pass through the Strait en route to Asia and Europe. 31 million tonnes a year.

-- Ninety percent of oil exported from Gulf producers is carried on oil tankers through the Strait.