The continental collisions that created this narrow Mideast waterway endowed the region with its petrochemical riches—and created a chokepoint that can disrupt the global oil trade.

EADaily, . The war and the transport shock redistribute oil revenues between exporters depending on the ability to maintain physical access to the market, Evgenia Goryushina, head of the Caucasus Research Sector of the ICSA RAS,

It handles between 17 and 20 million barrels of oil per day—roughly one-fifth of internationally traded oil—making it the world’s most consequential maritime passage. Its narrowness (21 nautical miles at its tightest point) and the concentration of Gulf oil reserves create a condition of structural dependence.

The Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil route, is currently blocked by Iran. This action follows a US-Israel offensive and the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran has created a tense maritime chokehold,

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In The Tragedy of Great Power Politics, John J. Mearsheimer reminds us that the international system does not reward virtue. It rewards power, and the capacity to deploy it at moments of vulnerability.