Global Oil Chokepoints
President Trump said that the US will lead a coalition to guide ships safely through the Strait of Hormuz.
Most people don’t really understand why this is necessary - or even why Iran claims ownership of the Strait of Hormuz. I did a little research and here’s a brief history lesson:
Iran has recently attempted to disrupt or threaten commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz using mines, drones, fast boats, and missile strikes. These actions have already led to stalled tanker traffic, rising oil prices, and concerns about wider economic fallout.
In response, President Trump has repeatedly stated that the United States will lead an international coalition to ensure safe passage for vessels through the strait.
Trump says that nations that rely heavily on Gulf oil imports—such as China, Japan, South Korea, France, and the United Kingdom—should contribute warships and logistical support, with the United States providing coordination, naval firepower, and continued strikes against Iranian military threats.
Below is a map of the world’s EIGHT oil chokepoints - where 90% of global maritime oil passes through. You can see that Hormuz is the second most important channel. Whoever controls these - controls the world. Do we want Iran to have that much power? I think not.
Trump described the effort as a “team effort” to keep the strait “open, safe, and free” and the goal is simple: To stop Iran from using mines or drones to attack passage, restore normal shipping flows and stabilize global energy markets.
How Iran Came to Dominate the Strait of Hormuz in a 1971 Power Grab
Every few years the same headline returns: Iran threatens to close the Strait of Hormuz. The world is sick of it. So is President Trump.
Whenever tensions rise in the Middle East, this narrow waterway becomes the center of global attention. That’s because roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through it.
But many people ask a simple question that nobody has bothered to answer: Why does Iran seem to control it?
It’s a story that stretches back centuries—through Persian empires, colonial powers, and a decisive moment in 1971 when the map of the Gulf changed almost overnight.
The Geography That Created the Problem
First, look at a map.
The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow exit from the Persian Gulf into the open ocean. On one side sits Iran. On the other is Oman’s Musandam Peninsula.
At its narrowest point, the strait is only about 33 kilometers (21 miles) wide.
But the actual shipping lanes used by oil tankers are far smaller—roughly two miles wide in each direction.
That narrow corridor is the world’s most important oil artery.
And Iran sits directly on the northern coastline overlooking it.
From that coastline, missiles, drones, mines, and patrol boats can reach nearly any ship moving through the strait.
But geography alone isn’t why Iran has leverage. The real turning point involved three tiny islands.
The Islands That Control the Gate
Right at the mouth of the strait are three small islands:
Abu Musa
Greater Tunb
Lesser Tunb
They are tiny—mostly barren rock. But strategically, they are priceless. Ships entering the strait pass very close to them.
Whoever controls these islands holds a commanding position over the shipping lanes.
Today, Iran occupies all three. But that wasn’t always the case.
The British Era in the Gulf
For much of the 19th and early 20th centuries, Britain effectively controlled security in the Persian Gulf.
Britain maintained protectorates with the Arab sheikhdoms along the southern coast—territories that would later become the United Arab Emirates.
During this era, Britain also administered or influenced the disputed islands near the Strait of Hormuz. Sovereignty over the islands was murky and contested between Persian rulers and Arab tribal leaders.
For decades, the dispute simmered quietly. Then Britain decided to leave.
1971: The Moment Everything Changed
In the late 1960s, Britain announced it would withdraw its military forces “east of Suez.”
That meant the Persian Gulf would suddenly lose its main security power. Iran’s ruler at the time—Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi—saw an opportunity.
On November 30, 1971, just days before the United Arab Emirates was officially formed, Iran moved its navy and troops into the disputed islands.
Iranian forces landed on Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb
A separate arrangement placed Iranian troops on Abu Musa
The takeover happened quickly. Within hours, the islands were under Iranian control.
The newly forming UAE inherited the dispute but had little ability to challenge Iran militarily. Iran has controlled the islands ever since.
Why Iran Says the Islands Are Theirs
Iran argues that the islands historically belonged to Persian territory for centuries.
Iranian officials frequently cite historical maps and records—including some British maps from the 19th century—that depict the islands as part of Persian lands.
Iran also argues that:
Local Arab rulers who administered the islands were historically subjects of Persia
Iran never formally renounced sovereignty over them
The events of 1971 were simply a “restoration” of Iranian authority
In recent years, Iran has even issued official land ownership documents reaffirming its sovereignty over the islands. From Tehran’s perspective, the matter is settled.
Why the UAE Says They Were Taken
The United Arab Emirates sees the situation very differently.
The UAE argues that:
The islands historically belonged to the emirates of Sharjah and Ras al-Khaimah
Iran seized them by force during Britain’s withdrawal in 1971
The occupation violates international law
The UAE has repeatedly called for negotiations or international arbitration. Iran has consistently refused. As a result, the dispute has remained frozen for more than fifty years.
Turning Islands Into Military Bases
After taking the islands, Iran did something crucial. It militarized them.
Today the islands host:
radar stations
missile batteries
naval facilities
airstrips
They form the first defensive line guarding the Strait of Hormuz.
Combined with Iran’s mountainous coastline and nearby islands such as Qeshm and Hormuz, these bases allow Iran to monitor—and potentially threaten—ships moving through the strait.
The Strategy Iran Built Around the Strait
After the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, Iran built its entire naval doctrine around controlling this narrow waterway.
Instead of competing with the U.S. Navy ship-for-ship, Iran focused on asymmetric warfare, including:
naval mines
swarms of fast attack boats
anti-ship missiles
drones
coastal missile batteries
Iran’s goal is not necessarily to permanently close the strait.
Iran’s strategy is simpler: Make shipping too dangerous to pass through - so that Iran (and her allies in China & Russia) can hold the world hostage and decide who gets to pass and who doesn’t. Even a temporary disruption could send global oil prices soaring. That leverage gives Iran influence far beyond what they should have. This is the same strategy they use with saber rattling over nuclear threats and through terrorist proxies.
Why the United States Doesn’t Actually Need the Strait
One fact often gets overlooked in this discussion.
The United States itself no longer depends heavily on oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Over the past fifteen years, the American energy landscape has changed dramatically. Thanks to the shale revolution and increased domestic production, the U.S. is now one of the world’s largest oil producers and a major exporter of energy.
Most of America’s oil imports come from Canada and domestic production—not from the Persian Gulf.
But many of America’s allies are far more dependent on Gulf oil. Countries like China, Japan, South Korea, and much of Europe rely heavily on energy shipments that must pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
For Japan and South Korea in particular, a large share of their oil supply travels through that narrow channel every single day. That means a disruption in the strait wouldn’t just be a regional problem—it would ripple across the global economy.
Energy prices would spike. Supply chains would tighten. Markets around the world would feel the shock. In other words, keeping the Strait of Hormuz open isn’t really about American energy security. It’s about protecting the stability of the entire global economy—and our allies who depend on it most.
Legally, the Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway. No country actually owns it.
For more than fifty years, the balance of power in the Strait of Hormuz has been shaped by a decision made in a single day in 1971.
Three small islands—barely visible on most maps—gave Iran a strategic foothold over the most important oil corridor on Earth. Since then, Tehran has built an entire military strategy around exploiting that geography.
Legally, the strait belongs to no one. But in practice, the ability to threaten it has given Iran leverage over the global economy. That is why President Trump’s current push for an international naval coalition matters.
The issue isn’t just about oil tankers or regional politics. It’s about whether one country can use geography, intimidation, and military pressure to hold a critical artery of the global economy at risk.
For decades, the world has simply lived with that risk. President Trump says NO MORE - not on my watch. Now the question is whether the international community has the courage to stand up with him.
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