The Iran Crisis: The Power of Geography and Energy

Introduction:

In the 21^st century, the presence of drones, planes, satellites and long-range missiles seems to have ‘shortened’ if not downright eliminated distance as a geopolitical hurdle. Couple this with the introduction of cyberwarfare as a new dimension of modern conflict, and it may be tempting to believe that geography is no longer relevant in modern international affairs. That is not the case. Today’s global economy, while vast and interconnected, depends upon a number of key straits around the world; narrow maritime passages through which much of global trade and supply passes. When these corridors are threatened, or indeed strategically blocked by global powers, the consequences for the international system are critical and immediate. 

A relevant example today can be seen at the Strait of Hormuz, a thin channel of water through which about 20% of the world's oil flows. As the conflict in Iran continues to unfold, the strait has re-entered the limelight. 

Energy geopolitics is back:

In the early 21^st century, when the process of globalisation was in full effect, the neoliberal economic system created the illusion that markets alone, rather than strategic location, determined supply chains and the flow of resources. Energy was priced and traded in global financial centres far from the oil fields and shipping lanes. This illusion, however, is fading. Oil and natural gas remain the lifeblood of economies, powering industry, transport and military capability. When the flow of oil is disrupted, even if only briefly, prices rise and inflation follows suit while governments scramble to ensure supply continues. In this sense, control over physical resources translates directly into political power.

Energy is no longer a commodity to be bought and sold. It is a strategic geopolitical asset which can be harnessed to benefit the owner-states. This pattern is not necessarily new. During World War II, the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran occurred, with Allied forces occupying Iran in part to secure its oil fields and deny them to Nazi Germany. This ultimately underscores that energy and geostrategy have been deeply intertwined for longer than some may think. 

The chokepoints of globalization:

The true fragility of the world’s energy supply chain lies in how this energy is transported. Despite the sheer size of the world’s oceans, shipping lanes are not evenly dispersed across the seven seas. Rather, global trade is funnelled through a series of narrow chokepoints, or maritime bottlenecks, where control and disruption are easy, but severely consequential. More than a century ago, US Naval Officer and historian Alfred Thayer Mahan suggested that the key for a nation to become a global hegemon lies in maritime dominance, particularly by controlling the world’s major chokepoints.  

Decades later, Mahan’s thesis is still relevant. Besides Hormuz, there are many other vital maritime bottlenecks, including the Strait of Malacca, the primary sea lane connecting Asia to the Middle East and Europe, the Suez Canal, a man-made shortcut vital for Eurasian trade; and the Bab el-Mandeb, which connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. These routes and chokepoints are not only important, but utterly indispensable to world trade and flow of energy. When these routes become blocked, the consequences are devastating, with little to no viable alternatives. While globalisation may appear complex, in reality, it all rests upon the availability of these fragile maritime corridors, which is exactly the strategic geography Mahan argued would determine the balance of power.  

Hormuz: where geography becomes power:

Iran’s geographic proximity to the Strait of Hormuz and its ability to block it off gives Iran an outsized strategic advantage. This advantage is amplified by Iran’s vast energy reserves as a significant oil producer. Nevertheless, Iran is not capable of competing with the conventional military prowess of the United States and its allies. Iran cannot depend on hard power and military might alone to exert influence in the region and dominance on the battlefield. Instead, it has implemented a strategy that exploits its geographic reality, one that goes beyond the maritime domain. The Zagros mountain range runs northwest to southeast along Iran’s western flank, while the Alborz mountain range protects the north, forming natural defensive barriers. These encapsulate a central plateau of deserts, the Dasht-e Kavir and the Dasht-e Lut, whose extreme conditions complicate large-scale ground invasion.

The importance of the Strait of Hormuz means that Iran doesn’t even need to close the channel; threats of disruption are enough to exert political influence. In this case, geography acts as a tool which amplifies Iran’s geopolitical leverage that may not otherwise be possible. This strategy is now being played out in real time. Rising tensions between Iran and the U.S. have brought renewed attention to the vulnerability and importance of the Strait of Hormuz. Despite lacking a military capable of defeating that of the U.S., Iran can leverage the conflict more in its favour by strategically blocking and weaponizing the strait. This situation highlights a certain paradox within modern-day geopolitics. Iran, a regional power, constrained in conventional military power, is able to exert influence over a global hegemon by harnessing critical geographical features.

Conclusion:

Evidently, energy politics and geography are intertwined into a single geostrategy. States not only need to control resources but also control the means of transporting such resources. While it may appear that the introduction of modern technology may have ‘shrunk’ the world and ‘eliminated’ distance, the global economy does not flow unconstrained across the globe. Instead, it is funnelled through narrow bottlenecks that can be monitored and closed by whomever controls them.  The ongoing crisis in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz demonstrates this, but it is not the only one. Together, all these maritime chokepoints lay the foundation for the global system, a foundation that is often threatened in times of conflict. Geopolitical power is not only about who has the strongest military or the largest economy, but also about who controls critical geographical features.