U.S. expects deal soon on Strait of Hormuz; Sunni powers unite in defence pact
A US official said Washington expects an agreement soon between Iran and Oman that would restore normal commercial shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, seen as a step toward a broader settlement of the ongoing regional conflict.
The US indicated it would lift its blockade on Iranian ports once a deal is reached and Iran allows unobstructed passage of commercial vessels through the strait.
Separately, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey signed a joint defence agreement, extending an existing bilateral mutual-defence framework into a trilateral pact among the three Sunni-majority US allies.
The new pact stipulates that an armed attack on any one signatory will be treated as an attack on all three; Turkey stated the agreement is defensive and not targeted at any specific country.
Strait of Hormuz — Strategic Chokepoint
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman (with the UAE nearby) connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It is the world's most important oil chokepoint, as it is the sole sea passage for crude exported by Gulf oil producers.
Key Details
- The strait is about 33 km wide at its narrowest point; shipping lanes for inbound and outbound tankers are each roughly 3.2 km wide, separated by a buffer zone, and pass mostly through Omani territorial waters.
- Roughly 20 million barrels of oil per day (about one-fifth of global oil consumption, and close to a quarter of seaborne oil trade) transit the strait.
- Countries whose crude/LNG exports route through Hormuz include Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, and Iran; a majority of this cargo is bound for Asia.
- About one-fifth of the world's traded liquefied natural gas (LNG), mostly from Qatar, and a significant share of internationally traded fertiliser also pass through the strait.
- Any disruption or blockade of the strait (through mining, naval interdiction, or conflict) is a classic "chokepoint risk" studied in energy security and maritime geography — comparable to the Strait of Malacca, Bab-el-Mandeb, and Suez Canal as global chokepoints.
An Iran-Oman agreement restoring safe passage through Hormuz would remove a major supply-side risk to global crude prices, directly affecting oil-importing economies such as India that depend heavily on Gulf crude transiting this strait.
Mutual Defence Pacts and Collective Security Arrangements
A mutual defence pact is a treaty in which signatories commit that an attack on one member will be treated as an attack on all, obligating collective response. This is distinct from a mere alliance of convenience or a non-aggression pact, and is the same organizing principle used in NATO's Article 5.
Key Details
- Saudi Arabia and Pakistan first signed the "Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement" (SMDA) on 17 September 2025 in Riyadh, formalising a long-standing security relationship; the agreement's precise text (including any reference to Pakistan's nuclear capability) has not been made public.
- The new trilateral extension bringing in Turkey enlarges this into a three-way collective defence arrangement among Sunni-majority US allies, without a formal multilateral organisation (unlike NATO or the GCC's collective defence clause).
- Such regional mutual-defence pacts among Gulf and South Asian states reflect a diversification away from sole reliance on the US security umbrella, relevant to India's West Asia policy given its strategic and energy partnerships with Gulf states.
The trilateral pact was concluded in parallel with the Hormuz negotiations, reflecting a broader recalibration of West Asian/Gulf security architecture that India tracks closely due to its energy imports and the presence of a large Indian diaspora in Gulf countries.
- The Strait of Hormuz separates Iran and Oman and is the sole maritime route out of the Persian Gulf for oil producers including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar.
- Around 20 million barrels of oil per day (about one-fifth of global oil consumption) normally transit the strait.
- The Saudi Arabia-Pakistan Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement was originally signed on 17 September 2025; Turkey's addition converts it into a trilateral pact.
- The strait's narrowest point is about 33 km wide, with shipping lanes of roughly 3.2 km each in Omani waters.