The New York Times | Sam Sifton
Iran's assertion of control over the Strait of Hormuz has plunged global oil markets into crisis, trapping thousands of ships in the Persian Gulf and inducing a global economic downturn. President Trump's negotiations with Tehran are on "life support" as Iran demands to maintain its chokehold on the vital waterway, through which a fifth of the world's oil flowed before the current conflict. This recurring strategic challenge, previously seen in the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, involves Iranian attacks on vessels and a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. The dispute is fundamentally legal, centered on the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, which permits territorial waters but mandates free navigation. Iran's proposal to charge a toll would violate customary international law, as highlighted by legal scholars like James Kraska. The crisis significantly impacts Trump's summit with China's President Xi Jinping, as the U.S. seeks Chinese pressure on Iran to reopen the strait, underscoring the geopolitical and economic ramifications of maritime chokepoint control.
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