Reference
Maritime Chokepoint Guides
Strategic overviews of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints — their importance, current risk, and historical context.
Chokepoint Guide
Strait of Hormuz
World's most critical oil chokepoint
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway between Iran to the north and the United Arab Emirates and Oman to the south, connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. At its narrowest, the strait is approximately 33 kilometers (21 miles) wide, with two navigable shipping lanes each 3.2 kilometers wide. It is the world's single most important oil chokepoint.
Chokepoint Guide
Bab-el-Mandeb Strait
Gateway between the Red Sea and Indian Ocean — under Houthi attack
The Bab-el-Mandeb ('Gate of Tears' in Arabic) is a strait between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti and Eritrea on the Horn of Africa. It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, making it the southern gateway to the Suez Canal route. The strait is approximately 29 kilometers wide at its narrowest point. Since late 2023, it has become the most kinetically active maritime threat zone in the world due to Houthi attacks on commercial shipping.
Chokepoint Guide
Persian Gulf
The world's oil export hub — politically contested waters
The Persian Gulf (also called the Arabian Gulf) is a shallow inland sea of the Indian Ocean, bounded by Iran to the north and northeast and by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Oman to the south and west. It is approximately 990 kilometers long and up to 340 kilometers wide, with an average depth of only 50 meters — making it unusually shallow for such strategically critical waters. The Persian Gulf is the single largest source of seaborne crude oil exports in the world.
Chokepoint Guide
Red Sea
15% of global trade — disrupted by Houthi missile and drone attacks
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, located between Africa to the west and the Arabian Peninsula to the east. It connects to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal at its northern end, and to the Indian Ocean via the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait at its southern end. The Red Sea is approximately 1,900 kilometers long and up to 355 kilometers wide. Under normal conditions, it is one of the world's busiest shipping corridors, connecting European markets to Asian manufacturing.
Chokepoint Guide
Gulf of Oman
Strategic staging area between the Strait of Hormuz and Arabian Sea
The Gulf of Oman is a body of water connecting the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. It is bordered by Oman and the UAE to the south, Iran to the north, and Pakistan to the east. The gulf is approximately 560 kilometers long and 320 kilometers wide. It serves as the primary staging area for tankers loading in the Persian Gulf before transiting to global markets, and as the principal operating zone of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet.
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