The safety of maritime navigation in international straits is the responsibility of all nations
There are eight international waterways in the world that are of critical importance to international maritime trade. Their significance has grown in recent years due, on the one hand, to the lower cost of maritime transport compared to other modes of transportation, and, on the other hand, to the unprecedented interdependence of the world’s nations. However, despite their strategic importance, these waterways —are characterized by their narrowness to the extent that they have come to be called “maritime chokepoints,” in addition to some of them being located in unstable regions and the ongoing maritime boundary disputes between the coastal states of these waterways. This gives them a specific interpretation under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which defined the rights and obligations of states in the five water areas it addressed.
Among these maritime straits is the Strait of Hormuz, through which 21 million barrels of oil pass daily—approximately 20% of global oil consumption and 27% of maritime oil trade— It is considered the sole maritime outlet for the oil and trade of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and the Republic of Iraq, with these oil exports destined for China, Japan, South Korea, European countries, and the United States. The strait lies between the Sultanate of Oman and Iran, stretching approximately 90 nautical miles in length and measuring about 22 nautical miles at its narrowest point; it connects the Arabian Gulf to the north with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea to the south. This information highlights an important fact: although the strait lies within the territorial waters of both Oman and Iran, it is classified as an international waterway. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) established rights and obligations for the littoral states to allow the unimpeded passage of ships from all nations.
Looking at regional conflicts in the area, we find that maritime security was a driving force behind the formation of military alliances to protect trade through the Strait of Hormuz, beginning with the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s and the attacks by both sides on ships traveling to and from the ports of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, which led the administration of U.S. President Ronald Reagan to establish a maritime coalition known as the “Coalition of the Willing,” which succeeded in protecting those ships and securing navigation in the Arabian Gulf; and including the Military Maritime Alliance for Gulf Navigation Security, established in 2019 during Donald Trump’s first term, which included six countries alongside the United States: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Albania; and finally, the “Guardians of Prosperity Coalition,” established during President Joe Biden’s administration in 2023 to protect maritime navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, in which the Kingdom of Bahrain was the sole participant from the Arabian Gulf and Arab regions.
While acknowledging the diversity of maritime security threats, it is noted that these do not pertain to any specific country. As previously mentioned, waterways are the economic arteries of the world; when their security and safety are threatened, the issue is not merely a matter of seeking alternative routes to avoid risks, but also involves the consequences of increased insurance premiums for ships, damage to cargo, and a threat to oil exports from producing to consuming nations, along with the resulting rise in oil prices, which in turn leads to inflation, slowed growth, and other economic consequences. Therefore, there has never been international tolerance for threats to maritime navigation in the Arabian Gulf region.
In light of the above, the unprecedented threats currently facing the Strait of Hormuz as a result of the conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran require all nations to contribute to keeping the strait open and secure for maritime navigation, given their strategic interests there and the need to ensure the smooth flow of global trade in general. Furthermore, the hesitation of some nations to respond to President Trump’s call to form an international coalition for maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz signifies the international community’s failure to protect its shared interests. It is true that questions have been raised regarding the nature of the coalition, its objectives, and the limits of member states’ contributions. However, it can be argued that Security Council Resolution 2817, adopted on March 11, 2026, based on a draft resolution submitted by the Kingdom of Bahrain on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council states and Jordan—and supported by 13 Security Council members— and 135 countries co-sponsored the resolution, reflects the global community’s perspective on the issue of maritime security, as it includes a clear and explicit provision regarding freedom of navigation in accordance with international law, and condemns “any acts or threats by Iran aimed at closing the Strait of Hormuz or disrupting international navigation therein.” On the other hand, the United States has experience in establishing and leading coalitions in general, and in protecting maritime navigation in particular. Thirdly, the term “coalition” does not necessarily mean that states are obligated to send warships; rather, the idea of a coalition of the willing is that each state contributes what it can to achieve a common international interest, namely the security of maritime navigation.
If the world’s nations fail to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to maritime navigation, it will be a failure of the international community itself, and it will mean that the vital interests of the world’s nations—including the protection of maritime security —will remain vulnerable to conflicts and struggles for hegemony. This requires the nations of the world to recognize that ensuring the security of maritime navigation is tantamount to ensuring their prosperity, the well-being of their peoples, and the sustainability of their development achievements.
Note: This article has been automatically translated, the full article is available in Arabic.
Dr. Ashraf Mohamed Kishk, Director of Strategic and International Studies
