Escalation Between Iran and the US Puts the Strait of Hormuz at the Center of the Crisis

After a series of attacks and counterattacks between Iran and the United States, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz has become significantly more tense, heightening fears over the security of one of the most important maritime arteries for global energy transport.

Reports say that at the start of the week, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) struck three oil tankers, after which the US responded with attacks against around 80 targets on the Iranian coast.

Iran then carried out drone and missile attacks on US bases in Bahrain and Kuwait. These exchanges of fire continued afterward, while both sides maintained the same threatening rhetoric.

According to analysts, this is a situation in which each side is waiting for the other to back down first. After a long period of military confrontations, the IRGC claims it has gained new capabilities and aims to change the way maritime traffic is controlled in the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran has demanded that all ships passing through this area be inspected by Iranian officers, arguing that after the conflict the previous rules can no longer be restored.

The US, the Arab Gulf countries and the International Maritime Organization have opposed this position, viewing Iranian control over one of the world’s most important trade corridors as unacceptable.

Although a memorandum of understanding had previously been reached and diplomatic efforts have been made, the latest military escalation has made it even more difficult to achieve a long-term agreement on security and freedom of navigation in the region.