How The Strait Of Hormuz Plays A Major Role In The Israel-Iran Conflict (image- strausscenter.org)
The oil price across the world had risen sharply following the escalation of tension between Israel and Iran. And now, Tehran is considering the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, according to IRINN, Iranian news agency. This would mean further surge in oil prices.
Why is the strategic waterway vital to global trade?
Hormuz is the only marine entryway into the Persian Gulf. The waterbody splits Iran to one side while Oman and the United Arab Emirates to the other, meanwhile it links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea in the Indian Ocean. Being known as the “world’s most important oil transit chokepoint,” almost 20% of the global oil consumption flows through the strait, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
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The waterway at its narrowest point, that is 33 km, is even narrower in the shipping lanes and that makes them vulnerable to attacks and threats of being shut down.
However, that had never occurred till now. During the Iraq-Iran conflict in 1980 and 1988, which resulted in the killing of thousands on both sides, both the countries had targeted commercial vessels in the Gulf which later was famously called the Tanker War. Nevertheless, the strait was never closed.
The scenario had reoccurred with the US, as Iran threatened with the closure of the waterway in 2011. Accounting on the recent incident, in 2019, tension arose when four ships were attacked near the strait off the coast of Fujairah, UAE amid heightened tension between Iran and the United States during Donald Trump’s first presidency. Though Washington had blamed Iran for the incident, Tehran denied the allegations.
Attacking shipping lanes had been a long-followed strategy used to apply pressure amid conflict. Ever since the beginning of war in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen have been attacking around Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the entryway into the Red Sea on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula.
To avoid the Houthi campaign, the ships avoided the Red Sea by sailing around Africa. A longer but safer energy route. However, there is no way to ship anything by sea out of the Gulf without going through Hormuz.
This closure won’t just simply affect the countries that import petrol from Gulf countries, a major drop in the supply would result in a major price hike per barrel on the global market.
Despite the argument whether Iran has the ability or willingness to shut down the strait or not, such a move would certainly invoke retaliation from the US, which has US military assets in the region.
Closing Hormuz would, however, not turn out well for Americans as the action would hit directly their wallets and could spark a military response from Trump.
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After Israel launched a wave of attacks across Iran early on Friday, targeting military leaders, residential buildings, army bases and nuclear sites, Iran responded with hundreds of ballistic missiles.
Though the US had helped shoot down the Iranian missiles, Washington had not directly attacked Iran. US officials have stressed that Washington was not involved in the Israeli strikes.
