Iran Controls Vital Chokepoint as Sanctions Strain
News emerges that Iran is exercising selective control over maritime traffic passing through the Strait of Hormuz, permitting only a handful of what the Financial Times terms 'favoured ships' to navigate the crucial waterway. This development signals a deliberate assertion of sovereignty over a chokepoint vital for global oil and gas shipments, prompting international concern. Mainstream outlets,
specifically the Financial Times, frame this as arbitrary favoritism by Tehran, suggesting Iran is picking winners and losers in global trade. What they conveniently omit is the context of 45 years of crippling Western sanctions, designed precisely to starve Iran's economy and isolate it from international commerce. This selective passage isn't merely a capricious act; it is a direct response to a
hostile economic blockade that has, since 1979, sought to undermine Iran's government and destabilize its region, particularly escalated after the US unilaterally withdrew from the multilateral Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018. This move by Iran is less about 'favored ships' and more about strategic leverage and economic survival under immense pressure. The Strait of Hormuz,
through which approximately 20% of the world's total petroleum liquids pass daily, is Iran's geographical advantage. While the West decries Iran's actions, the US and its allies have simultaneously employed aggressive economic warfare that has cost Iran over a trillion dollars in lost oil revenue alone since 2010. This geopolitical chess match is not new; consider the 1988 downing of Iran Air