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Strait of Hormuz: The tollbooth in the middle of the world
The war has inadvertently shown Iran how it can weaponise the chokepoint critical for oil trade. America and the rest of the world will have to pay a price for this.
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When Iran effectively shut the strait – through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil consumption passes – in early March, oil surged past US$100 a barrel.
PHOTO: AFP
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In his address to the nation on April 1, US President Donald Trump said something that will be remembered less for its confidence than for its disingenuous bravado. Even though he has repeatedly threatened to unleash hell on Iran unless it opens the Strait of Hormuz, he said: “The United States imports almost no oil through the Hormuz Strait, and won’t be taking any in the future. We don’t need it.”
