Iran is no longer using the Strait of Hormuz only as a crisis weapon. Tehran is trying to turn the waterway into a lasting source of political and economic leverage.

That shift should concern Washington and its Gulf partners. The Strait of Hormuz remains the world’s most important oil chokepoint. The US Energy Information Administration estimates that about 21 million barrels per day of crude oil and petroleum products moved through the strait in 2022, equal to roughly 21 percent of global petroleum liquids consumption. Around one-fifth of global LNG trade also passed through Hormuz. 

For decades, Iran threatened to close Hormuz during confrontations with the United States. Yet Tehran usually avoided full closure because the strait also serves Iran’s own economy.

A complete blockade would damage Iranian exports, alienate Asian buyers, and likely trigger a stronger US military response. Iran now appears to be testing a different model: not total closure, but managed access.

A complete blockade would damage Iranian exports, alienate Asian buyers, and likely trigger a stronger US military response. Iran now appears to be testing a different model: not total closure, but managed access.

This approach gives Tehran many of the benefits of disruption without the risks of outright blockade. Iran can slow traffic, raise uncertainty, increase insurance costs, and pressure energy-importing states while claiming it is merely “managing” maritime security.

That language matters. Iranian officials increasingly frame their actions in administrative terms: navigation services, environmental protection, and regional maritime coordination. Reuters, citing Nikkei, reported that Iran could reopen Hormuz about 30 days after a peace agreement, clear naval mines, and halt transit........

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