AXIOS (Julianna Bragg) - Why the Strait of Hormuz is so difficult to defend
Map: Sara Wise/Axios While President Trump has offered political risk insurance and Navy escorts for tankers navigating the Strait of Hormuz, it still remains one of the most difficult waterways in the world to defend. The big picture: The Strait, which carries roughly 25% of the world's seaborne oil supply, is approximately 21 nautical miles wide at its narrowest point, but the designated shipping lanes are far smaller — concentrating traffic into predictable corridors for Iran to monitor and target adversaries. State of play: Trump said American forces sank nine Iranian warships and are working to neutralize the rest of its navy, but Iran doesn't need a conventional fleet to make passage through the Strait dangerous. - Iran sits…
Map: Sara Wise/Axios While President Trump has offered political risk insurance and Navy escorts for tankers navigating the Strait of Hormuz, it still remains one of the most difficult waterways in the world to defend. The big picture: The Strait, which carries roughly 25% of the world's seaborne oil supply, is approximately 21 nautical miles wide at its narrowest point, but the designated shipping lanes are far smaller — concentrating traffic into predictable corridors for Iran to monitor and target adversaries. State of play: Trump said American forces sank nine Iranian warships and are working to neutralize the rest of its navy, but Iran doesn't need a conventional fleet to make passage through the Strait dangerous. - Iran sits…Open