Everyone knows that the ayatollahs’ regime in Iran was born in an act of hostage-taking, with the unlawful seizure of the American Embassy in Tehran and the detention of 52 diplomats for 444 days. Now Iran is trying to take the entire world hostage. The Islamic Republic has attacked nearly a dozen countries, attempted to seal off the Strait of Hormuz with mines, explosive drone boats, and shore-based missiles, and unleashed its proxy army in Yemen to threaten shipping in the Red Sea. Two of the world’s most vital maritime arteries are being held at gunpoint by the Iranian regime and its terrorist tentacles.

The Strait of Hormuz is not just another shipping lane. It is a maritime chokepoint through which roughly 20 million barrels of crude oil pass every day, about a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil trade. Unlike the Strait of Malacca or the Panama Canal, there is no economically viable alternative route; the oil either passes through Hormuz or it does not move. Iran knows this and has deliberately turned the Strait into a weapon. Commercial shipping has dropped by approximately 70 percent since March, with over 150 tankers anchored outside the passage awaiting safe transit. Meanwhile, Iran’s proxy on the Arabian Peninsula, the Houthis of Yemen, have placed an equally vital corridor under siege. The Red Sea is the lifeline of the Suez Canal system; when Houthi attacks render it unusable, shipping from Europe to Asia must circumnavigate the entire African continent, costing the global economy billions in additional freight, insurance, and delay........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)