Hormuz leverage fades as oil routes bypass the chokepoint
An Iran International op-ed argues the Strait of Hormuz, long used by the IRGC as a leverage card, has lost its bite as Asian buyers diversify and new pipelines bypass the chokepoint. In 2025, about 89% of crude flowed east to Asia (China leading, followed by India), while Europe and the US received a tiny share, and US crude exports surged in 2026, reducing Iran’s leverage. Saudi and UAE infrastructure projects and other bypass routes threaten Hormuz’s status as a global bottleneck. The piece predicts Iran’s economy will shrink, sanctions will deepen isolation, and Asia will rely less on Hormuz, turning the IRGC’s gambit into a costly, decades-long decline for Tehran; China’s position is complicated by the shift, but the overall message is that Hormuz is no longer Iran’s strategic ace.