Why the Strait of Hormuz is Iran’s most powerful bargaining chip

Iran reportedly says that it wants to charge a transit fee for ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz despite attempts made by American representatives to prevent it.

This marks another remaining problem of the US-Iran war. A fifth of the world’s oil passes through the Hormuz Strait.

Iran’s strategic chokepoints remain a potent weapon in this conflict. Tehran has been quite clear that the management of the Strait of Hormuz will not return to what it was before the war.

They were stuck with two cargo ships for weeks because those ships were using a route near Oman that wasn't approved by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

Control over this waterway not only pushed oil prices up internationally during the global turmoil, but it also forced the US to lower its strategic reserves. Since 1984 US has created a pathway off Oman for ships to transit the strait.

Trump’s volatility has pushed the Saudis, Emirates, and the Qataris to make their own deals with Iran. Today the Saudis even sent a delegation to the funeral of Iran’s supreme leader who was killed in Israeli air strikes. Iran and Oman have established a joint committee to determine how this strategic waterway will be managed.