How the Strait of Hormuz Has Become a Weapon of War

No region of the world produces more oil and gas than the countries straddling the Persian Gulf. Most of this energy can only be exported aboard tankers that cross the Strait of Hormuz — a waterway that’s effectively been blocked for more than two months.

Iran has throttled traffic through the strait since being attacked by the US and Israel in late February. It’s refused to reopen the vital shipping route until the US lifts a naval blockade imposed on Iranian ports. Tensions flared in early May, threatening to unravel a ceasefire, after President Donald Trump announced that the US would guide stranded ships out of the Persian Gulf in an operation dubbed “Project Freedom.”