Yet again the Strait of Hormuz dominates headlines as the on-off peace talks grind on with no clear end in sight. President Trump still shouts about it in full caps on Truth Social. Television producers still show on repeat the same map: Iran on one side, Oman on the other. Oil tankers still play chicken when trying to squeeze through its chokepoint.
It is tempting to believe that the future of Middle East security will be decided solely by that narrow stretch of water between Iran and Oman. That is understandable. Hormuz is the great oil chokepoint of the Gulf. But it is also wrong. For while diplomats, traders and television cameras are fixed on Hormuz, another strait sits in dangerous shadow.
