As military threats escalate between the United States and Iran, the Strait of Hormuz has returned to the forefront as a critical chokepoint for global energy markets and a strategic pressure tool capable of shifting tension from political rhetoric to a far reaching international economic shock.
This maritime passage has never been merely a shipping lane. It has long been tied to major conflicts in the Gulf, as highlighted in a report by Al Jazeera prepared by journalist Suhaib Al Assa. The report revisits the years of the Iran Iraq war, when the strait turned into an open arena for the so called tanker war.
During that period, oil tankers from both sides were targeted, leading to severe disruption in maritime navigation and record rises in oil prices. This experience later cemented the strait’s position as a political and economic pivot point whose sensitivity intensifies with every new military escalation.
The Strait of Hormuz connects Gulf waters with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It stretches for approximately 180 kilometres, while narrowing at its tightest point to just 33 kilometres, with depths reaching 60 metres, allowing the passage of the largest oil tankers.
The strait contains two navigation channels, each three kilometres wide, separated by a buffer zone. Its territorial waters fall under the jurisdiction of Iran and the Sultanate of Oman. Around 21 million barrels of oil pass through it daily, equivalent to roughly 21 percent of global consumption.
A Central Artery for Energy
The importance of these figures extends beyond oil alone. More than 20 percent of global liquefied natural gas trade passes through the strait, making it a central artery for energy security in Asia, particularly for China, India, Japan, and South Korea, as well as for Europe.
A complete closure of the strait could push oil prices to around 200 dollars per barrel within days, accompanied by massive increases in maritime insurance costs and acute supply shortages. Such a scenario would be sufficient to trigger a violent shock in global energy markets.
From a military perspective, freedom of navigation in the strait is regarded as a red line for the United States and its allies, making any closure a potential gateway to direct military intervention. This is despite the fact that Iran itself relies on the strait to export its oil and import essential goods.
Over years of heightened tension, Tehran has repeatedly threatened to use the strait as a pressure card. This was evident in 2019 through attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman and the detention of commercial vessels, before Iran later intensified its naval patrols and signalled deterrent measures.
According to military assessments, Iran relies on unconventional means to disrupt navigation, including thousands of naval mines, fast attack boats equipped with missiles, torpedoes, and suicide drones, as well as jamming technologies targeting global navigation systems.
Through these tools, the Strait of Hormuz shifts from a vital corridor for energy flows into a potential battlefield, where military calculations intersect with the global economy in an open confrontation whose limits and outcomes are difficult to predict.
