Mark Gagnon

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So in 1908, a British prospector named William Knox Darcy struck oil in southwestern Persia, which is, again, modern-day Iran.

It was the first major oil discovery in the Middle East, and it would basically transform the entire region, the global economy, and really the strategic importance of this waterway.

And it changed it in ways that no one could have ever imagined.

So the discovery led to the creation of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, which would later become BP.

And in 1913, the British government had taken a controlling stake in the company and the Royal Navy had begun converting its fleet from coal to oil.

That single decision made the Persian Gulf one of the most strategically important bodies of water on the planet.

Just immediately, overnight, because Britain's ability to project military power now depended directly on a steady supply of Gulf oil passing through the Strait of Hormuz.