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Source: https://jcfa.org/the-war-for-the-sea-routes-the-lesson-from-the-hormuz-crisis/
The War for the Sea Routes
(Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs) Sagiv Steinberg - For decades, the West has treated the world's oceans as an open domain governed by universal norms emphasizing freedom of navigation. Yet, actions by Iran and the Houthis in Yemen have fundamentally challenged this assumption. What used to be categorized as sporadic piracy has now emerged as a strategic tool of modern warfare. The major strategic straits represent critical chokepoints whose control or disruption can sway the course of global trade, energy security, and geopolitical power balances. Prominent among them are the Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb, Suez Canal, Strait of Malacca, Panama Canal, Bosporus, Strait of Gibraltar, Bering Strait, and Danish Straits. Here, radical regimes and determined regional actors seek to override international maritime conventions with methods of political blackmail and extortion. Iran has effectively declared war on the open maritime system. Israel's prosperity relies heavily on secure maritime corridors linking the Mediterranean to the Red Sea. The writer is CEO and director of communications at the Jerusalem Center.