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The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow maritime passage linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It is the single most important oil chokepoint in the world.
Ambassador Mootaz Ahmadein Khalil argues that the conflict is not fundamentally about Iran’s nuclear program or missiles, but about regime change, regional order, and the struggle to shape the postwar balance of power across the Gulf and the wider Middle East.
By moving from war around the Strait of Hormuz to a direct naval blockade of Iranian ports, Donald Trump has deepened a crisis that was already distorting oil flows, freight markets, and inflation expectations. The immediate target may be Iran, but the economic damage radiates far beyond it.
What began as a campaign to “clean” nationality files has grown into one of the most sweeping citizenship revocation drives in the Gulf, touching tens of thousands of people, falling heavily on women naturalized through marriage, and culminating in a new legal framework that further concentrates power over nationality in the executive.