Why the Strait of Hormuz matters – and what a blockade could mean for China, the world
Iran's parliament has approved a measure to close the Strait of Hormuz after the United States
launched military strikes on its nuclear facilities over the weekend. The final decision rests with the country's Supreme National Security Council and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – but the move has already deepened fears for the global energy trade.
Advertisement
In this explainer, we examine why this matters and what the implications of a blockade would be.
Where is the Strait of Hormuz? Why is it so critical?
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow, 33-kilometre chokepoint between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and gas flows, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration.
In 2024, an estimated 84 per cent of the crude oil and condensate and 83 per cent of the liquefied natural gas that moved through the Strait of Hormuz went to Asian markets.
China, India, Japan and South Korea were the top destinations in Asia, accounting for a combined 69 per cent of all crude oil and condensate flows passing through the strategic waterway.
Advertisement
These markets would likely be most affected by any disruptions to supply.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
At least 1.2 million Afghans deported this year despite risks: UN
At least 1.2 million Afghans have been forced to return from Iran and Pakistan this year, the UN refugee agency said on Saturday, warning that repatriations on a massive scale have the potential to destabilise the fragile situation in Afghanistan. Iran and Pakistan in 2023 launched separate campaigns to expel foreigners they said were living in the country illegally. They set deadlines and threatened them with deportation if they did not leave. The two governments deny targeting Afghans, who have fled their homeland to escape war, poverty or Taliban rule. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said that of the 1.2 million returning Afghans, more than half had come from Iran following a March 20 government deadline for them to leave voluntarily or face expulsion. Iran has deported more than 366,000 Afghans this year, including refugees and people in refugee-like situations, according to the agency. Iran's 12-day war with Israel has also driven departures. The highest number of returns was on June 26, when 36,100 Afghans crossed the border in one day. 'Afghan families are being uprooted once again, arriving with scant belongings, exhausted, hungry, scared about what awaits them in a country many of them have never even set foot in,' said Arafat Jamal, the UNHCR representative in the Afghan capital, Kabul.
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
China to stay cautious as Iran seeks help amid clashes with US, Israel: Middle East expert
Iran may look to China for weapons support amid conflicts with the US and Israel , but Beijing will remain cautious, considering strained economic ties with Tehran and its broader interest in balancing ties with Israel and other Western-aligned states in the region, according to a veteran Chinese expert on the Middle East. Advertisement In an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post, Pan Guang, a Chinese scholar of Jewish and Middle East studies, said the conflict between Iran and Israel was unlikely to spiral into a broader war, but tit-for-tat retaliation could continue as Tehran pushes ahead with its nuclear programme, which is believed to persist despite US strikes. Tensions escalated after Israel launched strikes on Iran on June 13. The US joined days later, targeting three of Iran's nuclear facilities – marking the most significant Western military action against the Islamic Republic since 1979. Iran retaliated by attacking a US military base in Qatar and striking Israel's strategic port city of Haifa, home to Chinese projects under the Belt and Road Initiative US President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire between Iran and Israel this week, which has largely held despite initial violations. However, prospects for a durable truce appear dim, as Iran's core nuclear capabilities are believed to remain intact and Israel remains determined to neutralise what it sees as an existential threat. Beijing, a close partner of Tehran, is being closely watched as the conflict unfolds. On Thursday, Iranian Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh joined nine of his counterparts at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's defence ministers' meeting in Qingdao, China, where he called for a bigger Chinese role in easing the conflict. Pan said Iran might seek Chinese weapons in light of its escalating tensions with Israel, drawing lessons from Pakistan's recent conflict with India.
South China Morning Post
5 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Why Israel's spy tactics against Iran have sparked fears in Taiwan
Israel's sweeping intelligence operations against Iran have jolted Taiwan's security community, raising concerns that Beijing could adopt similar tactics to cripple the island's leadership or critical infrastructure. As assassinations and sabotage rattle Tehran, analysts in Taipei warn that Beijing's infiltration of Taiwan is no longer a purely political threat, and it might be laying the groundwork for high-stakes covert warfare. In recent months, Taiwan has seen a surge in espionage cases implicating not only retired and active-duty military personnel, but also aides to senior government officials and lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The breadth and depth of these cases have sparked concerns that Beijing's intelligence network has already penetrated the island's political and defence systems. 'What Israel has done to Iran – through a combination of precision, infiltration, and intelligence dominance – is something Beijing could try to replicate,' said Max Lo, executive director of the Taiwan International Strategic Study Society. 'The difference is, this time Taiwan may be the one under the microscope.' According to experts, Taiwan's vulnerabilities lie not only in its geographic proximity to mainland China but also in decades of cross-strait social and cultural exchange, which have enabled mainland Chinese intelligence operatives to blend in and recruit more easily.
