The Strait of Hormuz is both a vital passage point and a permanent point of tension. As long as the world depends on Oil from the Persian Gulf, its security will remain a major geostrategic concern. If Iran were to cross the red line, the consequences would not be limited to barrels of Oil, but the global economic balance could be shaken.

Iran last threatened to close the Strait in April 2024, as it has done on several previous occasions. Shipping was targeted in the Middle East Gulf during the ‘Tanker War’ of the 1980s, fought between Iran and Iraq. That conflict saw 400 merchant ships attacked, with over 400 seafarers killed. (Copyright)