In 2019, Vox produced an explainer video on the Strait of Hormuz that ended with this line: “Without the direct diplomatic contact between the US and Iran, each run-in has the risk of escalating into war one that could disrupt the jugular of the global economy in the process.”
That war is now here.
Since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran in February, the Strait of Hormuz has become the flashpoint of the regional conflict in the Middle East. Thousands have been killed and millions of lives disrupted as violence has exploded across the region. Iran has responded by wielding the Strait of Hormuz as an economic weapon by restricting access to the Strait.
The result has been global inflation and supply disruption as scarcity drives up the price of oil, gas, and other products that the global economy desperately needs. Iran seems intent on continuing to use the Strait of Hormuz as a high-value bargaining chip, as the country sustains military, civilian, and infrastructure losses.
But the longer the US and Israel struggle to make a deal to permanently reopen the Strait, the longer they will shoulder the blame for starving the world of essential items.
If you want to read more about the Strait of Hormuz, here are some sources that contributed to our reporting:
Vox’s ongoing coverage of the US-Iran war: https://www.vox.com/politics/481087/us-iran-trump-war-israel-politics-explainer
Vox’s 2019 video explainer on the Strait of Hormuz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUBg6Qp_N98
The UN’s breakdown of global trade and development disruptions caused by the Strait of Hormuz: https://unctad.org/publication/strait-hormuz-disruptions-implications-global-trade-and-development
Brookings Institution’s commentary on Iran’s disruption of the Strait of Hormuz: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/why-irans-disruption-of-the-strait-of-hormuz-matters/
The Independent’s analysis of the war by the numbers: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/middle-east/iran-israel-us-war-death-toll-b2953551.html
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