<\/p>\n
Al-Wilayah News<\/p>\n
Home \/ Reports \/ The Strait of Hormuz: Trade, Energy, Infrastructure \u2014 and What Comes Next<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Haydari Nazar<\/p>\n
28<\/p>\n
Yes. If we want to look at the Strait of Hormuz as an integrated strategic system, rather than merely a maritime passage, I believe its importance consists of several layers, some of which are less well known than oil and trade.<\/p>\n
1. Energy<\/p>\n
This is the most well-known layer: crude oil, petroleum products, and liquefied natural gas. In the first half of 2025, approximately 20.9 million barrels per day of oil and petroleum liquids passed through the Strait of Hormuz, equivalent to around 20% of global petroleum-liquids consumption.<\/p>\n
2. Maritime Trade<\/p>\n
The strait is not merely an \u201coil passage\u201d; it is the gateway for maritime movement between the Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Arabian Sea. Therefore, cargo ships, container vessels, raw-material carriers, and other types of vessels pass through it.<\/p>\n
3. Digital Infrastructure<\/p>\n
This is the layer you referred to earlier, and it is extremely important: undersea telecommunications cables.<\/p>\n
Submarine cables carry more than 99% of international data traffic and support telecommunications, the financial sector, cloud computing, and government communications.<\/p>\n
For this reason, the seabed of Hormuz can be regarded as part of the digital infrastructure of the Gulf states.<\/p>\n
4. Military Security<\/p>\n
This is where the importance of Hormuz begins to shift from being merely \u201ceconomic\u201d to becoming geopolitical and military.<\/p>\n
The strait is the gateway through which naval forces based in the Gulf reach the Indian Ocean. Therefore, control over freedom of movement through it affects:<\/p>\n
– Naval forces.
\n– Aircraft carriers and escort vessels.
\n– Supply ships.
\n– Surveillance and reconnaissance operations.
\n– Coastal and air-defense systems.
\n– The security of military bases located in the Gulf.<\/p>\n
This makes Hormuz a military gateway just as much as it is a commercial gateway.<\/p>\n
5. Strategic Communications<\/p>\n
There is a difference between commercial internet traffic and government, military, and strategic communications.<\/p>\n
Even when there is no publicly identified military cable in a particular area, disrupting communications infrastructure can indirectly affect the functioning of government institutions, the economy, and command-and-control systems.<\/p>\n
This is one of the reasons submarine cables are considered critical infrastructure worldwide.<\/p>\n
6. Food Security and Essential Commodities<\/p>\n
This is a layer that does not receive enough attention.<\/p>\n
The Gulf states rely heavily on imports to meet their food and commodity needs. Therefore, disruption to maritime navigation does not only mean higher oil prices; it can also affect:<\/p>\n
Food \u2192 animal feed \u2192 fertilizers \u2192 industrial materials \u2192 consumer goods.<\/p>\n
In other words, the impact of Hormuz can extend to the economic and social security of the Gulf states.<\/p>\n
7. Water and Domestic Energy<\/p>\n
This is extremely important for the Gulf states.<\/p>\n
Most countries in the region rely heavily, to varying degrees, on seawater desalination. Desalination plants require energy, materials, equipment, and spare parts, while some of these facilities are located close to the coastline.<\/p>\n
Therefore, maintaining the security of navigation and energy supplies in the Gulf is also indirectly connected to water security.<\/p>\n
And, most importantly, there is an eighth layer<\/p>\n
This is the one I believe will become the most important in the future:<\/p>\n
Political influence and sovereignty over maritime traffic<\/p>\n
This is directly connected to what you were saying about Iran\u2019s position.<\/p>\n
If Hormuz shifts from the concept of:<\/p>\n
\u201cAn open international passage where navigation operates according to the usual system\u201d<\/p>\n
to:<\/p>\n
\u201cAn open strategic passage, but within security arrangements and procedures determined by the coastal states,\u201d<\/p>\n
then the value of the strait changes fundamentally.<\/p>\n
At that point, the ability to permit, restrict, inspect, regulate traffic, and determine risks itself becomes a political instrument.<\/p>\n
And this is not merely a theoretical concept. Even economically, the 2026 crisis demonstrated that simply increasing the risks associated with transit and insurance can drive transportation costs to historic levels, even before discussing a permanent closure.<\/p>\n
Therefore, Hormuz can be summarized by this equation:<\/p>\n
Hormuz = Energy + Trade + Communications + Infrastructure + Military Security + Food Security + Water Security + Political Influence.<\/p>\n
This is precisely why I believe that the statement \u201cHormuz will not return to what it was before\u201d, if it means redefining the rules governing passage and security control, is far more consequential and broader than merely threatening to close the strait.<\/p>\n
Control over Hormuz does not necessarily mean closing it; sometimes it is more powerful when the strait remains open but under new conditions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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