Afrasianet - Abdulsalam Tarawneh - In field politics, sovereignty is not measured by the texts written on the paper of international conventions, but by the hand that holds the brakes and controls the logic of deterrence on the ground.
When we reflect on the situation in the Strait of Hormuz today, we find ourselves confronted with a bright and indisputable fact: the "international" character of the strait as an operational concept has ceased to be replaced by a new fait accompli that is managed entirely according to Iran's rules of engagement.International
law may adhere to the name of the "international strait", and the major powers are based on the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, but the navigational and commercial reality is not managed by good intentions or political statements.
Reality is governed by a simple equation: who can stop the ship, who can raise the cost of marine insurance, and who has the actual decision to open or close the artery?
The fundamental shift in the strait's identity was not merely a political claim, but the result of field accumulations that imposed themselves as insurmountable realities:
The failure of conventional deterrence: Multinational naval alliances proved that conventional tools of warfare and large fleets were incapable of protecting everyday navigation in the face of hybrid warfare.
The proliferation of coastal missiles, speedboats, drones, and electronic jamming weapons has made the cost of securing a single tanker beyond its economic feasibility.
Imposing de facto authority: In practice, tankers no longer cross the strait based solely on the "international right of transit," but also in accordance with the daily response to the IRGC's calls and navigational directives. Iran's radios have become the commanding and the definitive in directing maritime traffic.
The insurance market as the de facto judge: Global insurance markets view not "international legitimacy," but rather the actual threat. When the risks become exclusively tied to the extent of tension with Tehran, the global economy has implicitly acknowledged that the key to safety in this corridor lies in Tehran, not in Washington or New York.
The zero equation: Iran has enshrined a "peer-to-peer" approach, in which every external detention or restriction is met with direct action in the strait. This practical balance has abolished the concept of "international protection" and turned it into direct contact with the Iranian will.
To say that the Strait of Hormuz is still an "international crossing" in the practical sense is a kind of political denial of reality.
The legal designation may still be reserved in the corridors of international forums, but in terms of navigation, insurance, military control, and risk management, geography and military tactics have imposed a single reality: the Strait of Hormuz has become, by pure operational logic, an area of influence and a vital Iranian sphere of influence and influence.
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