Live newsroomScoop NewsLast newsroom update: Aug 27, 1:58 AM

Live source delayed — keeping the latest verified scores on screen while the desk reconnects.

WorldReported

Iran faces strait of Hormuz paradox as strategic value of chokehold erodes

Internal calls to end war get louder as Gulf neighbours plan alternative pipelines to cut reliance on waterway Is the strait of Hormuz, recently cited by the office of the Iranian supreme leader as “the pillar of Iran’s new security order”, and as transformative as possessing a nuclear weapon, in reality becoming a fast-diminishing asset, leaving Iran increasingly vulnerable to the new planned US wave of economic sanctions? It is the key debate that is raging inside Iran, with many different conclusions being drawn for Tehran’s negotiating strategy. Those who warn the strait’s value as a chokehold on the world economy will erode, leaving the country without foreign exchange reserves, argue that Iran’s negotiators should seek a deal soon. One analysis written by Hamid Paktinat, the founder of the Forum of Economic Activists, suggests the construction of alternative pipelines and export routes by Iran’s Gulf neighbours will halve the strait’s strategic value within three years.

Missing media or need the complete publisher report? Open The Guardian World

Scoop News DeskIran · Published Wednesday, August 26, 2026 at 4:00 AM UTCUpdated Thursday, August 27, 2026 at 1:58 AM UTC

Coverage image for: Iran faces strait of Hormuz paradox as strategic value of chokehold erodes

Media link supplied by the Scoop Newsroom app.

Scoop News reporting summary

The text below was supplied by the Scoop Newsroom app. Third-party reporting is attributed in the source panel.

According to data compiled by the ship tracker Kpler, only 112 oil and gas tankers went through the strait between 1 and 19 August. Hamid Asefi, a Tehran-based journalist specialising in geo-economics, is one of many warning that if Hormuz is to be played as Iran’s final card every time a crisis arises, this card will gradually lose its value. “A threat that is constantly repeated turns from ‘deterrence’ into a political habit; and a political habit, if not accompanied by concrete achievements, sooner or later leads to an inflation of threats,” he said.

Breaking news moves fast. Follow @Will466513 on X for breaking news alerts. Follow on X →

Transparent record

Story timeline

Dated changes to this report are shown here as they are published.

Version 2unpublished
Wednesday, August 26, 2026 at 11:08 AM UTC
Removed by Scoop Timeline eligibility policy
Version 3published
Wednesday, August 26, 2026 at 2:07 PM UTC
Internal calls to end war get louder as Gulf neighbours plan alternative pipelines to cut reliance on waterway Is the strait of Hormuz, recently cited by the office of the Iranian supreme leader as “the pillar of Iran’s new security order”, and as transformative as possessing a nuclear weapon, in reality becoming a fast-diminishing asset, leaving Iran increasingly vulnerable to the new planned US wave of economic sanctions? It is the key debate that is raging inside Iran, with many different conclusions being drawn for Tehran’s negotiating strategy. Those who warn the strait’s value as a chokehold on the world economy will erode, leaving the country without foreign exchange reserves, argue that Iran’s negotiators should seek a deal soon. One analysis written by Hamid Paktinat, the founder of the Forum of Economic Activists, suggests the construction of alternative pipelines and export routes by Iran’s Gulf neighbours will halve the strait’s strategic value within three years.
Version 4unpublished
Thursday, August 27, 2026 at 1:58 AM UTC
Removed by Scoop Timeline eligibility policy