00:00It's just 39 kilometers wide but if it ever closes the world could feel the shock in ours.
00:08Oil prices would soar, markets would panic, trade routes could freeze.
00:15This is the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway with global consequences.
00:22The state of Hormuz lies between Iran and Oman.
00:26It connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and then to the open ocean.
00:32It is the only sea route for oil exports from countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq,
00:39Kuwait, the UAE and Iran.
00:42One fifth of the world's oil and a third of natural gas pass through this narrow passage
00:49that makes it the most important energy choke point on earth.
00:53The Strait of Hormuz has been valuable for centuries.
00:59In the 1500s, Portuguese explorers like Vasco de Gama captured it and built forts.
01:06Later, the British and Dutch fought for control, using it to secure trade with India and Asia.
01:14Empires rose and fell, but the strait remained a gateway of power and profit.
01:20Today, giant oil tankers and gas carriers cross Hormuz every day.
01:27They deliver fuel to Asia, Europe and the West.
01:31Without this flow, global supply chains would break down.
01:36Gas prices would rise everywhere from New York to New Delhi.
01:41That's why any disruption here makes the world nervous.
01:45There have been many threats to shut the strait, but it has never been closed.
01:51In the 1980s, during the Iran-Iraq war, Iran threatened closure.
01:57In 1988, after a US warship hit an Iranian mine, America launched a major naval attack.
02:04In the 1990s, Iceland disputes between Iran and the UAE raised more alarms.
02:12Still, the strait stayed open because even Iran needs it.
02:17Blocking it would harm its own economy and likely trigger conflict with global powers like the US, China and India.
02:25As the world moves towards clean energy, some wonder if Hormuz will lose its power.
02:33But for now, the world still runs on oil and the oil still runs through Hormuz.
02:40Until that changes, this narrow waterway will remain one of the world's most strategic, important places.
02:47The strait faces serious challenges, geopolitical tensions, piracy and the risk of oil spills harming marine life.
02:59But it also offers opportunities for countries to work together, protect the environment and keep trade flowing.
03:06The strait of Hormuz is more than a waterway. It's a lifeline for economies, for energy and for global stability.
03:18As long as the world needs oil, what happens here will always matter.
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