Iran sits beside the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy routes. Its Houthi proxy threatens the Bab el-Mandeb and Red Sea shipping lanes. Together, they have placed two vital maritime chokepoints under terrorist pressure.

This is not an accident. It is a strategy.

Tehran understands that it does not need to defeat the US, Europe or Israel in a conventional war. It can instead threaten commercial ships, increase insurance costs, disrupt oil deliveries and force governments to choose between military action and economic pain.