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Iran’s Hormuz chokehold loses value as Gulf neighbors plan new pipelines
An analysis cited by the outlet says alternative pipelines and export routes could cut the strait’s strategic value in half within three years.
The Guardian Business reports that a debate inside Iran is intensifying over how much leverage the Strait of Hormuz can still deliver as Gulf neighbors develop alternative pipelines and export routes that reduce reliance on the waterway.
One analysis referenced by the outlet, authored by Hamid Paktinat, the founder of the Forum of Economic Activists, argues the strait’s strategic value could be halved within three years as alternative routes come online, potentially worsening Iran’s foreign exchange situation.
The report also points to diplomatic activity as evidence that the reopening of the strait and the revival of a discarded US and Iran memorandum from June remain central issues, highlighted by separate high level visits to Tehran this week by Oman’s foreign minister, Badr Albusaidi, and Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir.
In parallel, Iranian leaders have been making pointed comments linking the war to economic strain, and the Iranian central bank governor, Abdolnaser Hemmati, warned on TV that Iran is contending with multiple simultaneous challenges, including maximum sanctions, a blockade, and disruptions to oil exports.