A Gooseberry and a Tear: The other crucial Straits of the Indian Ocean

Key points

• Head of the Iranian Parliament’s Security Committee, Ebrahim Azizi, on Saturday (May 16, 2026) announced on X that Iran “has prepared a professional mechanism to manage traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.” This announcement came just a few days after reports indicated that Iran had set up a new body, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, to oversee vessel movement through the strait.
• With these two developments, Iran has effectively formalised a toll system for the vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the sole maritime gateway for one-fifth of global oil and LNG supplies, as per U.S.
• Energy Information Administration (USEIA) data.
• As the world still grapples with the energy crisis brought on by this stranglehold, these developments have exposed the Achilles’ heel of global trade – the critical chokepoints that connect the world’s chief maritime mercantile routes.
• While Hormuz remains a global flashpoint, the Indian Ocean is also home to...