Straitcraft: How geography gives Iran leverage and could do the same for India

Influence over Hormuz has given Iran a form of leverage that is disproportionate to its conventional economic and military weight. It has been more than 200 days since the US-Iran war began, and yet the conflict remains without a conclusion. One can expect a superpower like the United States, with the biggest economy and overwhelming military might, to swiftly win the war. In reality, it looks for a table to negotiate, where Iran appears to have an equal say.Influence over Hormuz has given Iran a form of leverage disproportionate to its conventional economic and military weight, highlighting how geography can be strategised to shape geopolitical outcomes in one's favour. The strategic significance of this leverage extends beyond the Gulf. From Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb to the Malacca Strait, influence over maritime chokepoints can allow states, and sometimes non-state actors, to influence trade, energy flows, and the calculations of much larger powers.For India, the crisis in the west could offer a lesson in how maritime geography can be leveraged in the east.Operation epic ‘weary’?In late February, the global energy supply chain was disrupted after the US and Israel launched coordi...