Hormuz: mother of all chokepoints

全球终极咽喉要道

Money Talks from The Economist

2026-03-26

37 分钟
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Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has given it a remarkable strategic advantage. How has the country weaponised the shipping lane so effectively—and what does the crisis reveal about other chokepoints in the global economy? Plus, we report from CERAWeek, the “Davos of energy," and consider whether America’s oilmen will benefit from the war. Guests and hosts: Edward Fishman, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of “Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare” Vijay Vaitheeswaran, The Economist’s global energy and climate innovation editor Alice Fulwood, co-host of “Money Talks” Ethan Wu, co-host of “Money Talks” Topics covered: Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz CERAWeek energy conference Chokepoints in the global economy Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.
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  • The Economist.

  • Ordinarily, more than a hundred shipping vessels might pass through the Strait of Hormuz on any given day.

  • Sandwiched between Iran and Oman, the strait is only 24 miles wide at its most narrow point.

  • Not just tankers full of oil, but liquefied natural gas, fertilizer, helium and more,

  • all flowed through this narrow waterway.

  • But all that has been upended.

  • Iran has spent years developing weapons that could threaten the entire global economy.

  • And now that the country's at war, it has started to use them.

  • Now, thanks to a barrage of low-cost drones,

  • Iran has been able to effectively close off the strait,

  • and the US is trying desperately to open it up again.

  • We strongly encourage other nations whose economies depend on the strait far more than ours,

  • we want them to come and help us with the strait.

  • After threatening to obliterate Iran's energy infrastructure,

  • President Trump has been taking a slightly calmer line in recent days.

  • They want very much to make a deal.

  • We'd like to make a deal too.

  • We'll see how that goes.

  • And if it goes well, we're going to end up settling this.

  • Otherwise we just keep bombing our little hearts out.