Ships at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Khasab, a port city in the north of the Omani Musandam Peninsula, on May 17, 2026. (Photo: AFP)
For Iran, the latest war has only confirmed the obvious: the Strait of Hormuz remains its trump card. Now, the Islamic Republic is working to preserve its hold over this crucial maritime route — through which nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas production ordinarily transits — and to reaffirm its sovereignty there. Nearly two weeks after its launch was reported by Iranian state television Press TV, Tehran officially announced on Monday, May 18, the creation of the "Persian Gulf Strait Authority" to manage the strait. The counter-tactic that may well backfire Blockade of Iranian ports: Pressure tactic or real solution? “Navigation ... whose boundaries have previously been defined by the armed forces and authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran is subject to full coordination with these institutions, and any...
For Iran, the latest war has only confirmed the obvious: the Strait of Hormuz remains its trump card. Now, the Islamic Republic is working to preserve its hold over this crucial maritime route — through which nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas production ordinarily transits — and to reaffirm its sovereignty there. Nearly two weeks after its launch was reported by Iranian state television Press TV, Tehran officially announced on Monday, May 18, the creation of the "Persian Gulf Strait Authority" to manage the strait. The counter-tactic that may well backfire Blockade of Iranian ports: Pressure tactic or real solution? “Navigation ... whose boundaries have previously been defined by the armed forces and authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran is subject to full coordination with these institutions, and...
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