Mark Gagnon

I know that's technically what you're supposed to say.

You're supposed to say Qatar.

Look, I played FIFA and it was Qatar.

So that's just kind of what... I put like a little sauce on it.

Qatar.

Qatar.

It's pretty good.

And basically, all of the oil produced in these countries that leaves by sea has to pass through Hormuz.

There's no other exit by sea.

I mean, you can fly it around, but it's so expensive.

By sea is really the only way and that's the only one.

And while there are a few like overland pipelines and all that stuff that can bypass a strait, they can only handle like a tiny piece of the volume of oil that has to move.

And we'll come back to that in a second.

It's also worth noting, because it matters later in the story, that the Strait sits in international waters and it's governed by what's called transit passage rights.

So basically under this is kind of nerdy at this point, but basically under international maritime law, all ships, including warships, have the right to pass through freely, regardless of whether the bordering states like it or not.

So, UAE can be in a big fight with someone, and if their ships want to go through, by international maritime law, they have to allow it.

Now, in theory, no country owns the Strait, but in practice, and geography, and military power always has the final say.

The Persian Empire, starting with the Achaemenid dynasty under Cyrus the Great in the 6th century, extended its influence all the way to the shores of the Gulf.

Now, the Persians weren't

the strongest naval power in the way that like the Greeks or the Phoenicians were, but their empire reached, basically meant that the Gulf's coast fell within their sphere of influence.