Strait of Hormuz: Iran seizes control of critical point in global oil trade

Amid the current crisis surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, Nadia Massih is pleased to welcome Dr. Guy Laron, author of “Oil Wars”, historian and senior lecturer in International Relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. According to Dr. Laron, what we are witnessing is not simply a regional confrontation but a textbook demonstration of how energy choke points shape global power. Iran’s strategy is based on exploiting one of the world’s most critical bottlenecks in the oil trade, a tactic that has proven effective repeatedly throughout modern history. Control over those critical points has long defined the balance of international influence. The resulting global response clearly reveals how lessons from previous energy crises continue to shape policy. The coordinated release of strategic oil reserves by the International Energy Agency reflects mechanisms developed after the 1973 oil crisis to stabilize markets and prevent panic buying. However, this response also exposes deeper structural vulnerabilities, particularly in refining capacity and the absence of strategic natural gas reserves. This crisis therefore highlights two overlapping realities. First, the physical infrastructure of energy transportation—pipelines, refineries, and maritime chokepoints—remains critical to global geopolitical competition. Second, disruptions to these systems reverberate far beyond the immediate conflict, reshaping alliances, markets, and the geopolitical landscape. Finally, broader geopolitical risks extend far beyond the Middle East region. The outcome of this escalation of the conflict will influence, and even shake, perceptions of American power, global alliances, Russia’s strategic posture, and the future architecture of global energy supply. In this sense, the fight over the Strait of Hormuz is not limited to the global oil market; it is about the ever-evolving structure of global power in the 21st century.