U.S. attacks Iran and Tehran retaliates across West Asia as both vie for control of strait
The US carried out further strikes on Iranian targets, and Iran retaliated with strikes across multiple locations in West Asia, widening the conflict beyond direct US-Iran exchanges
Both countries have sought to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway linking the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea
Shipping traffic through the Strait fell sharply — transits over a recent weekend dropped by more than half compared to the previous week
India has continued diplomatic engagement urging restraint, protection of civilians, and uninterrupted energy flows, while operating naval and evacuation measures for its nationals and flagged vessels in the region
Strait of Hormuz — Geography and Strategic Significance
The Strait of Hormuz lies between Iran to the north and Oman (the Musandam exclave) to the south, connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and onward to the Arabian Sea. It is the principal export route for crude oil produced by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain and Iran, making it the world's single most important oil chokepoint.
Key Details
- The Strait is about 21 nautical miles wide at its narrowest point, with two shipping lanes of roughly 2 nautical miles each, separated by a 2-mile buffer zone
- In 2025, close to 34% of global seaborne crude oil trade transited the Strait (around 15 million barrels/day of crude and condensate), alongside roughly 20% of global LNG trade
- Iranian territorial waters overlap the Strait's shipping lanes on the northern side; Oman's Musandam peninsula borders the southern lanes
- The Strait has no practical alternative sea route for Gulf oil exporters, though pipeline bypasses exist (e.g., Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline, UAE's Fujairah pipeline) with limited total capacity compared to seaborne volumes
Control over the Strait's shipping lanes is central to the current escalation — both parties' military actions in and around the Strait directly threaten the transit route carrying roughly a third of the world's seaborne crude.
Global Maritime Chokepoints — Comparative Framework
The Strait of Hormuz is one of a small set of "chokepoints" — narrow maritime passages through which a disproportionate share of global trade must pass — that are recurrent themes in India's geography and international relations syllabus.
Key Details
- Strait of Malacca (between Malaysia/Indonesia and Singapore): the main route linking the Indian Ocean to the Pacific, carrying the bulk of India-East Asia and China-bound energy trade
- Bab-el-Mandeb (between Yemen and the Horn of Africa): links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, gateway to the Suez Canal route
- Suez Canal (Egypt): connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, avoiding the Cape of Good Hope route around Africa
- Panama Canal: connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, relevant to India's engagement with Latin American trade
Disruption at Hormuz illustrates why chokepoint security is a standing concern in India's maritime strategy — India depends on safe transit through Hormuz for the bulk of its Gulf-sourced crude and LNG, just as it depends on Malacca and Bab-el-Mandeb/Suez for its wider Indo-Pacific and Europe-bound trade.
India's Evacuation and Neutrality Doctrine in Regional Conflicts
India has developed a recurring institutional practice during regional conflicts near its diaspora and trade routes: issue a travel advisory, deploy naval assets for escort/evacuation, repatriate nationals, and maintain a publicly neutral, dialogue-oriented diplomatic posture rather than aligning with either side.
Key Details
- Precedents include Operation Ganga (2022, Ukraine), Operation Kaveri (2023, Sudan) and Operation Ajay (2023, Israel-Gaza) — each combining MEA advisories with military-assisted evacuation of Indian nationals
- In the current crisis, India's Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways coordinated the extraction of Indian-flagged commercial vessels from the Strait, while the Indian Navy has deployed frontline warships to escort Indian-flagged cargo ships transiting the region
- The MEA's institutional position has consistently called for restraint by all sides, protection of civilians, and safeguarding uninterrupted energy supply and maritime commerce, without attributing blame to either party
- India is not a treaty ally of either the US or Iran in this conflict; its Gulf policy is built on energy dependence, diaspora presence, and remittance flows rather than military alignment
As Iranian retaliation spreads across West Asia, India's response follows this established doctrine — prioritising evacuation of nationals and flagged vessels and pressing for de-escalation, rather than taking a position on the conflict's merits.
- Strait of Hormuz: ~21 nautical miles wide at the narrowest point; two 2-mile-wide shipping lanes
- Around 34% of global seaborne crude oil trade and ~20% of global LNG trade transited the Strait in 2025
- Shipping transits through the Strait fell by more than 50% week-on-week amid the latest escalation
- India's diaspora in the Gulf region exceeds 9 million people — its largest overseas community concentration, including roughly 3.5 million in the UAE alone
- Comparable global chokepoints: Strait of Malacca, Bab-el-Mandeb, Suez Canal, Panama Canal
- Precedent evacuation operations: Operation Ganga (2022), Operation Kaveri (2023), Operation Ajay (2023)