WHAT THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ IS
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow sea passage located between Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman. It connects the Persian Gulf with the Indian Ocean, and on the map it looks almost insignificant.
Its length is about 160 kilometers, and at its narrowest point it is roughly 34 kilometers wide. But what is truly striking is something else. The actual shipping lanes used by vessels are only a few kilometers wide in each direction.
In other words, almost all the oil leaving the Persian Gulf passes through a very small maritime corridor.
And this is where things start to get really important.
Around one quarter of the world’s seaborne oil trade passes through this route. That means roughly one out of every four barrels of oil transported by ship globally goes through there.
And we are not just talking about oil. About one fifth of the global liquefied natural gas market also passes through the Strait of Hormuz.
The countries exporting energy through this route include nearly all the major producers in the Persian Gulf: Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and of course Iran.
Most of this energy ends up in Asia. China, India, Japan, and South Korea are among the largest buyers of oil that flows through the strait.
In simple terms, behind this small passage lies a massive volume of energy that fuels the global economy. If this route stops functioning, a huge portion of global energy supply gets trapped.
HOW OIL FLOW CAN BE DISRUPTED
This is where market concerns really begin.
Many people think that for a serious problem to occur, Iran would need to completely shut down the passage. In reality, that is not necessary. It only needs to become dangerous enough that ships no longer want to pass through.
Iran has several ways to create such disruption. It can deploy naval mines, carry out drone attacks, launch anti-ship missiles, or use small fast boats to harass tankers. Even interfering with GPS signals can create chaos in navigation.
In fact, in recent days, hundreds of ships in the region have reported issues with their navigation systems.
The result is that vessel traffic through the strait has dropped significantly. And when oil flows decline, markets react immediately.
Oil prices have already risen significantly since the beginning of the conflict, precisely because markets fear that supply could be constrained.
POLITICAL PRESSURE AND TRUMP’S ROLE
This is where the political dimension comes in.
Donald Trump has started pressuring other countries to help secure the Strait of Hormuz. His argument is that the United States depends very little on the oil that passes through there, while countries like China rely much more heavily on these routes for their energy.
In simple terms, he is saying: if most of that oil is going to other countries, why should the United States be the one protecting the route?
So he has called on allies and major economies to send naval forces to help secure shipping and keep the passage open.
The problem is that many countries appear hesitant. They do not want to become militarily involved in a conflict in the Middle East. And Trump has hinted that he will remember which allies helped and which did not.
KHARG ISLAND AND ESCALATION
As if all this tension were not enough, there is another critical point raising the stakes even further.
Kharg Island.
It is a small island about 25 kilometers off the coast of Iran, but it serves as the country’s main oil export hub. Around 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports pass through it.
The United States has already carried out strikes on military targets on the island. However, oil infrastructure has been left untouched.
Trump even stated that the US destroyed almost everything on the island except the oil facilities, but warned that they could target them within five minutes if necessary.
If that happens, the global oil market would face a massive shock, because Iran’s ability to export oil would be directly affected.
