Iran’s shadow fleet survives through fake flags, corrupt ports, and complicit insurers. Washington must target the commercial infrastructure enabling it.
Browsing: Shipping
Houthi attacks on Saudi ships and refineries widen the Iran war and test Riyadh’s reliance on U.S. protection.
War-risk premiums now price tankers out of Hormuz, cutting transits and exposing Pakistan while Gwadar gains strategic value.
China limits war risks by managing energy fallout, avoiding entanglement, and keeping open the Strait of Hormuz for global trade.
Oman’s quiet diplomacy with Tehran now offers the only credible path to reopening the Strait of Hormuz without war.
Saudi Arabia’s new 15-country naval pact signals a historic regional turn away from reliance on US military protection.
Riyadh is pairing diplomatic restraint toward Iran with targeted military strikes against its proxies, raising the risk of wider war.
Western officials still see the Houthis as pirates, but they are Iran-backed missile operators closing a critical sea lane.
Iran demands fees for Strait of Hormuz passage, forcing Washington to weigh a humiliating Iranian Hormuz Toll against endless war.
The new Red Sea defence alliance confronts deep internal fractures that could derail its institutional ambitions before they take hold.