Who Really Controls the Strait of Hormuz? Law, Power, and the Politics of Passage

Baba Yunus Muhammad

As tensions escalate around the Strait of Hormuz, competing claims from the United States and Iran have brought a critical question into sharp focus: who actually has the right to control one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints?

At first glance, the issue appears straightforward. The strait lies between Iran to the north and Oman to the south. Both countries exercise territorial sovereignty over parts of the waterway. This geographical reality forms the basis of Iran’s argument—that it has the authority to regulate passage, especially under conditions it defines as threatening to its national security.

But international maritime law tells a different story. The Strait of Hormuz is widely recognized as a “strait used for international navigation,” a classification that places it under a special legal regime. Under this framework, ships and aircraft of all nations enjoy what is known as transit passage—the right to move continuously and expeditiously through the strait without interference. This right is not a courtesy extended by coastal states; it is a legal entitlement grounded in the broader need to keep global trade functioning.

In principle, this means neither Iran nor Oman can lawfully block the strait or impose arbitrary conditions such as tolls on passing vessels. The logic is simple: if every coastal state were to exercise absolute control over such chokepoints, global commerce would collapse into a patchwork of restrictions, fees, and political leverage. READ MORE>>