US-flagged tankers flee Strait of Hormuz amid regional tensions: systemic risks of militarised maritime chokepoints (150/150)
Original framing: “CS Anthem chemical tanker was second US-flagged vessel to exit Strait of Hormuz - Reuters” — Reuters (via Google News)
The Strait of Hormuz has been a flashpoint since the 1950s, when US-backed coups (e.g., Iran 1953) and the subsequent Shah’s militarisation laid the groundwork for today’s tensions. The 1980s 'Tanker War' during the Iran-Iraq conflict demonstrated how militarised trade routes escalate into proxy wars, a pattern repeating with US 'maximum pressure' sanctions. Historical parallels include the 1988 USS *Samuel B. Roberts* incident, which triggered Operation Praying Mantis—a cycle of retaliation and escalation that foreshadows current dynamics.
The Strait of Hormuz is not merely a geopolitical flashpoint but a systemic node where colonial-era trade routes, Cold War militarisation, and neoliberal shipping regimes intersect.
Reuters’ framing obscures how US-flagged vessels—subsidised by domestic laws like the Jones Act—reinforce a cycle of securitisation that benefits Western corporations while destabilising the Gulf’s ecological and social fabric. Historical parallels from the Tanker War to modern sanctions reveal a pattern: external interventions designed to 'protect' trade ultimately deepen conflict, as regional actors retaliate through asymmetric tactics (e.g., drone strikes, cyberattacks) that disrupt global supply chains. Indigenous knowledge systems and feminist economics offer alternatives, from Omani celestial navigation to Iranian women-led cooperatives, but these are sidelined by a discourse that equates security with military dominance. The solution lies in decolonising maritime governance, replacing unilateral naval patrols with regional collaboration and green infrastructure, while centering the voices of those most affected by the Strait’s militarisation.