Strait of Hormuz and Iran–US Strategic Rivalry: A Study of Maritime Security Dilemma

Abstract

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the largest marine choke-points in the world passing approximately a fifth of the world oil trade through it. In this paper, we are going to discuss how the strategic rivalry between the United States and Iran has developed over the years, using the theory of maritime security dilemma. In argument, it says that the Strait has since become a zone of endemic instability with counter measures by one side leading to counter-measures response by the other and culminates in the cycles of escalation. Through the qualitative analysis of secondary sources, policy reports, as well as new geopolitical developments, the study finds that military deployments, economic sanctions and asymmetric tactics in the sea, have escalated insecurity in the Gulf region. The article gives conclusions that the Strait of Hormuz is not only a physical chokepoint, but also a foreign policy arena, which offers great-power politics and economic coercion.