{"id":2605331,"date":"2026-05-21T06:29:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T10:29:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/irans-shut-down-of-strait-raises-global-chokepoint-questions\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T06:35:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T10:35:07","slug":"irans-shut-down-of-strait-raises-global-chokepoint-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/irans-shut-down-of-strait-raises-global-chokepoint-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran&#8217;s shut down of strait raises global chokepoint questions"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Firans-shut-down-of-strait-raises-global-chokepoint-questions%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2605331&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article argues that Iran\u2019s blockade-style disruption of the Strait of Hormuz shows how controlling \u201cchoke points\u201d can <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >quickly destabilize global trade adn energy prices<\/a>. It notes that oil and shipping traffic through the strait dropped sharply after Iran began threats of attacks on vessels, with major consequences for crude and gasoline costs worldwide.Even if a U.S.-Iran agreement ends the current standoff, Iran (or other actors) could potentially repeat tactics in the future.<\/p>\n<p>it then reviews international maritime law: countries generally control only up to 12 nautical miles from their coastlines, while the high seas are governed by freedom of navigation, with ships allowed \u201csafe passage\u201d rather than being threatened or impeded. Because the Strait of Hormuz is relatively narrow and outside Iran\u2019s territorial sea is limited, the article suggests it becomes an easier target for effective \u201ccontrol,\u201d and worries that other states could mimic this approach in other strategic waterways.<\/p>\n<p>The piece highlights other critical shipping bottlenecks and why disruptions there could also have outsized impacts, including:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; **Bab al-Mandab \/ Bab el Mandeb Strait** (linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden): attacked in recent years by Houthi forces, threatening access to the Red Sea and Suez routes.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; **Suez Canal**: a major conduit for global trade; it has previously suffered major blockage (e.g.,the *Ever Given* grounding),demonstrating how quickly prices and revenue can be hit.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; **Panama canal**: seeing increased demand and higher auction prices as routing decisions reflect Hormuz-related pressures.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; **Strait of Malacca**: one of the highest-traffic maritime routes globally; its narrow width means option routing would require significant detours.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; **Turkish Straits (Black Sea to Mediterranean)**: discussed as another high-impact choke point for Eastern Europe\u2019s access to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/china-russia-rapprochement-preparation-for-parallel-war-and-the-new-axis\/\" title=\"China-Russia Rapprochement: Preparation for Parallel War and the New Axis\">global sea trade<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; **The Arctic**: emerging routes and resources may increase strategic competition there, as ice melt opens new passageways and access to fossil fuel and mineral reserves.<\/p>\n<p>the article\u2019s central theme is that modern trade depends heavily on a small number of narrow, vulnerable maritime passages-and that undermining freedom of navigation at these points can create global economic and food-security spillovers.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\">Iranian<\/a> blockade of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/strait-of-hormuz\">Strait of Hormuz<\/a> has tanked the global economy and driven oil prices up dramatically, raising the question of what other vital waterways could cause this type of fallout if another bad actor sought to exert control over them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There had always been the possibility that the Iranian regime could try to control the strait due to the geography of the region, but it wasn\u2019t until the United States and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/israel\">Israel<\/a> declared war against them on Feb. 28 that they tested the theory, and it\u2019s worked.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4576167\/us-competing-russia-china-terror-groups-influence-across-africa\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>US competing with Russia, China, and terror groups for influence across Africa<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4575626\/pentagon-european-brigades-poland-troops\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Pentagon reduces European brigades but says it maintains \u2018strong\u2019 presence in Poland<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4575535\/senate-iran-trump-war-powers-cassidy\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Senate advances Iran war powers bill as Cassidy flips after primary loss<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prior to the start of the war, approximately a\u00a0fifth\u00a0of the world\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/oil\">oil<\/a> would travel through the strait daily and with Iran\u2019s threats to fire drones and ballistic missiles at vessels that don\u2019t meet their demands, which includes payment, traffic through it has plummeted.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ahead of the joint strikes in February, as many as 180 vessels could be spotted transiting the waterway daily, with typical levels around 130-140. Just hours after the attacks, dozens of ships anchored and traffic dropped by around 70% that first weekend of the way. Since then, traffic has dropped by as much as 97%.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This major disruption in flows of crude and other petroleum products has caused oil and gasoline prices to surge. The national average\u00a0gas\u00a0price was $4.53 a gallon as of Tuesday, according to the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/gasprices.aaa.com\/?state=DC\">AAA motor club<\/a>, which is significantly higher than where it was two days before the war began, when\u00a0gas\u00a0cost <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/gasprices.aaa.com\/national-gas-average-jumps-one-dollar-in-one-month\/\">$2.98<\/a> a gallon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even if the U.S. and Iran are able to come to an agreement to end the stalemate, the Iranian military still has the capability to do this again in the future.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-laws-of-the-high-seas\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Laws of the high seas<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are international laws that govern how countries and vessels can operate on the water. The twelve nautical miles from land is considered the sovereign territory of that country, and its sovereignty extends both in the airspace over that area and the seabed below it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Countries can exert their own laws within the territorial sea \u2014 that 12 nautical mile zone \u2014 but the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea requires all ships be allowed the right of safe passage through it, though those vessels are also forbidden from threatening, surveilling, propagandizing against the state, and more.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No country is permitted to seek control of the high seas outside that 12 nautical mile zone. Vessels outside that zone are legally provided freedom of navigation. The U.S. Navy frequently conducts freedom of navigation operations in which American vessels sail through contested waterways.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Graphic by Grace Hagerman \/ Washington Examiner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the Strait of Hormuz\u2019s most narrow point, it\u2019s roughly 20 nautical miles or so between Oman and Iran, meaning the area outside Iran\u2019s territorial sea is much smaller than that. The small waterway also makes those vessels easier targets for Iranian forces.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe freedom of navigation has to be restored to the Strait of Hormuz, and that\u2019s just not possible under the current Iranian regime, and the reason why I say freedom of navigation has to be restored is because that\u2019s the fundamental principle that underpins 11 billion tons a year of seaborne trade,\u201d Michelle Wiese Bockmann, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/russia-seeks-to-irk-trump-with-cuba-move-us-intervention-expected\/\" title=\"Russia Seeks to Irk Trump with Cuba Move - US Intervention Expected\">senior maritime intelligence analyst<\/a> with Windward, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She added, \u201cIf you have a choke point like the Strait of Hormuz under the effective blockade or control of a country contrary to the long-established norms of international maritime law and the principles that underpin trade, then what\u2019s to stop other\u201d countries from trying to leverage those choke points.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-other-strategic-waterways\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other strategic waterways <\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Iran is not the first country to close an important waterway, though its impact far exceeds any previous one in the Red Sea.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Bab al-Mandab Strait, which separates the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, is the only entry point to the Red Sea from the Indian Ocean, and through the Suez Canal, it connects to the Mediterranean Sea. On one side of the Red Sea is the African coastline of Egypt, Sudan, and Eritrea, while on the other side is Saudi Arabia and Yemen. More than 4 million barrels per day of crude and other petroleum products <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/international\/analysis\/special-topics\/World_Oil_Transit_Chokepoints\">pass through<\/a> the strait each year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Iranian-backed rebels in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/yemen\">Yemen<\/a>, known as the Houthis, began attacking commercial vessels transiting the Bab el Mandeb Strait in November 2023 \u2014 in the aftermath of Hamas\u2019s Oct. 7, 2023, attack in southern Israel, and their subsequent war in Gaza. The Houthis targeted those ships in solidarity with Gaza, they said, and they stopped those attacks once a ceasefire was agreed upon. The U.S. went to war with the Houthis last year until President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\">Donald Trump<\/a> abruptly announced a ceasefire last May.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Between the recent threats to the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz, Bockmann, said \u201cWhat it has underscored is the vulnerability of these choke points to threats and attacks, so in the case of the Houthis, it was like very low, low technology drones, the threat of attacks that more effectively closed off the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, that that waterway to Western affiliated vessels, and it\u2019s the same with Strait of Hormuz.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nearly 5 million barrels per day of crude oil and petroleum liquids <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/international\/analysis\/special-topics\/World_Oil_Transit_Chokepoints\">travel through the Suez Canal<\/a> each year, attracting up to 15% of global trade. At its very narrowest, the channel stretches less than 700 feet wide.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In March 2021, a massive container ship known as the Ever Given, which was nearly twice the length of the canal\u2019s width, was pushed sideways in the channel and ran aground, blocking traffic in either direction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The vessel obstructed the canal for six days, blocking the flow of nearly 13 million barrels of crude, causing a rapid spike in international and domestic oil prices as well as a loss of up to $15 million in daily revenue for the canal, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.atlanticcouncil.org\/in-depth-research-reports\/issue-brief\/a-lifeline-under-threat-why-the-suez-canals-security-matters-for-the-world\/\">according<\/a> to the Atlantic Council.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Suez Canal has also faced piracy threats in the past, including from Somali pirates in the early 2000s. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s not a strait, but the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/panama-canal\">Panama Canal<\/a> is another choke point that has seen increased crossings in light of the war in Iran and their demands for ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz, Bockmann said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Average auction prices for Panama Canal crossings were usually around $135,000 to $140,000 prior to the war and have since increased nearly threefold to roughly $385,000, according to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/sustainability\/climate-energy\/panama-canal-says-1-million-plus-auction-slots-reflect-temporary-surge-demand-2026-04-23\/\"><em>Reuters<\/em><\/a>, which also reported that some companies had paid more than $1 million for a slot due to the increased demand.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2024, around two million barrels per day of crude oil and petroleum liquids passed through the Panama Canal, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/international\/analysis\/special-topics\/World_Oil_Transit_Chokepoints\">according<\/a> to the EIA.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another major waterway for global shipping commerce is the Strait of Malacca, which connects the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea. It\u2019s governed by a series of agreements between Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, and roughly a third of global trade and more than a quarter of the world\u2019s seaborne oil travels through it, according to the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/articles\/after-hormuz-southeast-asia-sees-the-potential-value-of-tolling-the-strait-of-malacca\">Council on Foreign Relations<\/a>. In 2024, the EIA <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/international\/analysis\/special-topics\/World_Oil_Transit_Chokepoints\">estimated<\/a> that nearly 23 million barrels per day of crude passed through the strait, the most of any major waterway.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At its narrowest point, the Strait of Malacca is less than two miles wide. If this strait were to close, ships would seemingly need to sail further south, such as through the Lombok Strait, around the Java Sea near Jakarta, or they could seek to avoid the Indonesian archipelago entirely.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amid the tension with the Strait of Hormuz, the Indonesian Finance Minister Purbaya Yuchi Sadewa suggested last month that they place tolls on ships transiting the Strait of Malacca \u2014 following Iran\u2019s playbook. He walked back the comments, and Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono also publicly rejected the idea.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Arsenio Dominguez, secretary general of the U.N.\u2019s International Maritime Organization, the Turkish Straits connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean should also be considered a major choke point, as they are the only maritime link connecting much of Eastern Europe to global sea trade.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These straits, which include the Strait of Istanbul, the Strait of \u00c7anakkale, and the Marmara Sea, see roughly 3.7 million barrels of crude and petroleum products flow through each day. This is roughly equivalent to 5% of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/israeli-prime-minister-vows-retaliation-for-irans-attack-on-oil-tanker\/\" title=\"Israeli Prime Minister vows retaliation for ...s attack on ... tanker\">global maritime trade<\/a>, according to the EIA.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAny disruption in these areas would have major global consequences for trade and for food security for populations worldwide,\u201d Dominguez <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/news.un.org\/en\/story\/2026\/04\/1167383\">said<\/a> at the end of April. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4574815\/vance-cant-say-if-iran-negotiating-in-good-faith\/\">VANCE CAN\u2019T SAY IF IRAN IS NEGOTIATING IN GOOD FAITH<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Arctic is an emerging area for contested waterways. Not only does\u00a0melting\u00a0ice in the Arctic make way for new possible maritime routes through the region, but it also provides growing access to the region\u2019s virtually untouched fossil fuel and mineral reserves.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The\u00a0Arctic\u00a0Council, the preeminent organization for international mediation in the Arctic, consists of eight members: the U.S., Russia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. While Russia is the only nonWestern country that has a claim to the Arctic, China has unilaterally given itself the title of a \u201cnear-Arctic\u00a0state.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has crashed the global economy and sent oil prices soaring, prompting fears of similar damage if another actor tried to control vital waterways. There had always been a risk the Iranian regime could attempt it<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4292,"featured_media":2605332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/chokepoints3-e1779310379759.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[32404,47732,3823,38830,57321],"class_list":["post-2605331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-geopolitics","tag-global-trade","tag-iran","tag-maritime-security","tag-strait-of-hormuz"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/chokepoints3-e1779310379759.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4292"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2605331"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2605335,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605331\/revisions\/2605335"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2605332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2605331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2605331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2605331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}