An oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz
Hormuz threats lose their sting
As Gulf states progress bypass projects, time runs down on Iran’s sabre-rattling
The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s key oil chokepoint, with more than 20pc of global crude demand passing through the waterway each day. Repeated threats by Iran over the past decade to close its shipping lanes have thus proven headline-grabbing. Should it risk doing so, the likely result would be a material spike in oil prices as Mid-East Gulf supply was constrained. The logical next step would be swift intervention, almost certainly of a military nature, to remove any blockage if possible. While the threat has somewhat subsided over the last few years, last month Iran’s deputy commander of political affairs, General Yadollah Javani, warned that, if there was a need to close the strait, Ir
Also in this section
9 January 2026
OPEC+ remains on track as output falls, with only Gabon failing to hit its output targets in December, although Kazakhstan’s compliance was involuntary
9 January 2026
The Latin American producer’s crude prospects rely on a multi-pronged approach where even the relatively easy wins will take considerable time, effort and cost
9 January 2026
While many forecasters are reasserting the importance of oil and gas, petrostates should be under no illusion things are changing, and faster than they might think
8 January 2026
Indonesia and Malaysia are at the dawn of breathtaking digital capabilities. Their energy infrastructure must keep up with their ambitions
