Why the US and Iran are fighting over this tiny waterway

Опубликовано: 22 Август 2019
на канале: Vox

3,222,789

62k

The Strait of Hormuz, “the jugular of the global economy," has become a useful bargaining chip for Iran.

Become a Video Lab member! http://bit.ly/video-lab

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway that lies between Iran and Oman. This 21 mile-wide passage supports 20% of the world’s oil supply. A closure of this waterway could send the global economy into a tailspin.

In recent months, several oil tankers have been seized, attacked and harassed. These oil tankers — and this narrow water passage — are at the center of the conflict between the US and Iran. It's a conflict that spans decades and has the potential to escalate in one of the world’s most important oil chokepoints.

Read more about the recent escalation between the US and Iran:
https://www.vox.com/world/2019/6/21/1...

Strait of Hormuz stats and details from the US Energy Information Administration:
https://www.eia.gov/beta/internationa...

More on the history of conflict between the US and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz in David Crist's novel, The Twilight War:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/bo...

Vox Atlas demonstrates where conflicts occur on a map and the ways in which foreign policy shapes a region. Watch all the episodes here: http://bit.ly/2SThVsf

Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com.

Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE

Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o

Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H