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The three key straits of the Arabian Peninsula (and their strategic importance)

2026-03-23 20:51:27Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
The three key straits of the Arabian Peninsula (and their strategic importance)
The three key straits of the Arabian Peninsula

Irene Soave - Corriere della Sera

The US-Israeli war against Iran has made visible to the wider public the strategic importance of several sea lanes, through which most international trade, including oil, takes place. It is estimated that around 70% of global trade (in value) and 80% in volume passes through these routes.

Strait of Hormuz

The most critical point currently is the Strait of Hormuz, which separates the Arabian Peninsula from the coasts of Iran and connects the Gulf of Oman (southeast) with the Persian Gulf (west). It is 39 km wide and 60 km long, while the maximum sea depth is 220 meters, making the navigable area more limited.

It carries 20 million barrels of oil a day, or 20% of global oil traffic. Iran has been blocking it since February 28 with mines, military ships and drones, causing worrying consequences for the global economy and finances. Donald Trump has given an ultimatum that expires on the night between Monday and Tuesday: if Hormuz is not liberated, he will order the “destruction” of Iranian power plants, starting with the largest.

Never before has the Strait of Hormuz been completely blocked for so long, not during the first oil crises after the 1979 Iranian revolution, not during the Iran-Iraq conflict, nor during last June's Israeli attacks on the Islamic Republic.

Strait of Bab al-Mandeb

Further south, several maritime blockades impede movement in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and then the Indian Ocean. This is the region's only connection to the ocean. It is 40 km wide and 130 km long, with Djibouti on the African coast and Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula.

About 4 million barrels of oil pass through it per day. However, the strait is partially blocked by regional wars: since the beginning of 2024, Yemen's Houthis, allies of Iran, have caused a collapse of about two-thirds of traffic to Suez, attacking several ships and significantly increasing their insurance and charter costs. Traffic in the strait has not returned since then, and Iran threatens to cooperate with the Houthis to block it completely.

Suez Canal

Further north, the Suez Canal connects the Red Sea with the Mediterranean. It is 225 meters wide and shallow, and opened in 1869, revolutionizing global trade: ships no longer need to go around the entire continent of Africa to pass from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and vice versa.

Through it pass 4-5 million barrels of oil per day. The Suez Canal is directly affected by the crisis in Bab al-Mandeb, because it is the other entrance to the Red Sea. The shallow depth of the canals remains a difficulty.

Many may recall the images of March 2021, when the Ever Given, a 400-meter container ship, became stranded in the shallow channel and paralyzed maritime traffic for six days.


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