"Were the world a ring, Hormuz would be the jewel in it." This medieval proverb captured a truth that has held for over 4,000 years [citation:5]. Today, the Strait of Hormuz carries roughly 20% of the world's oil, a critical artery of the global economy now effectively sealed by the Iran conflict [citation:2]. To understand why this narrow waterway holds such power, we have to trace its history back to the beginning.
In this episode, we trace the 4,000-year history of the world's most contested waterway. Long before oil, Hormuz was a vital trade route for copper, spices, and silk, connecting the great civilizations of Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley [citation:8][citation:10]. We explore how ancient Persian empires, medieval travelers like Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta, and colonial powers like the Portuguese all fought to control this strategic chokepoint [citation:5][citation:9][citation:11]. From the first "Tanker War" in the 1980s to the current geopolitical crisis, discover why the world's reliance on this narrow strait has made it a perpetual flashpoint—and why controlling it allows a country to "hold veto over the world’s wealth and energy security" [citation:8].
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