The world’s seas and oceans are primarily thoroughfares for commercial and military vessels, and as such, they become arenas of conflict whose control is essential from both strategic and economic standpoints.
As Iran restricts access to the Strait of Hormuz, causing a spike in insurance premiums and a sharp slowdown in oil and gas flows, the vulnerability of the global economy is starkly revealed. Cross-border strikes, threats of armed escorts, and the increasing militarization of the Persian Gulf turn this passage into a laboratory for 21st-century conflicts.
This crisis did not emerge out of nowhere; it is an extension of a long history of power struggles around straits, canals, and inland seas. From the Panama Canal to the Strait of Hormuz, passing through the Red Sea and the Arctic, logical forms of flow control are at play.
Since 2025, the United States has intensified its strategic engagement for control over maritime spaces and critical transit points through a series of targeted military and diplomatic operations. In Latin America, this posture manifested in direct intervention in Venezuela in January 2026, where a large-scale attack targeted military and port infrastructure. This operation, named Absolute Resolve, resulted in the capture of President Maduro and underscored American determination to secure Caribbean routes and counter Chinese and Russian influence in the region.
In recent times, American ambitions have extended to the Arctic. The desire to acquire Greenland was reinforced in 2019 and continued into 2025-2026 with increased patrols and military infrastructure in the region to secure access to the Northwest Passage and counter Russian and Chinese ambitions.
In February 2026, the United States launched Operation Epic Fury against Iran, a large-scale military campaign aimed at neutralizing Iranian ballistic and naval capabilities and preventing their rapid reconstitution. This operation included massive airstrikes, drones, and interagency coordination, showcasing the American determination to control strategic spaces in the Middle East and secure energy and commercial flows—a determination magnified by Tehran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
European involvement in responding to this escalation is robust. Several EU member states have deployed significant naval assets to secure Cyprus and strategic maritime routes to Suez and Hormuz. This coordinated European mobilization aims to protect British bases in Cyprus, which have been targeted by Iranian drones, and secure vital energy routes while the circulation in the Strait of Hormuz remains a key concern, disrupting global oil and gas supplies.
European coordinated mobilization aims to protect British bases in Cyprus, which have been targeted by Iranian drones, and secure strategic energy routes while the traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains a critical issue, affecting global oil and gas supply chains.
The vulnerability of alternative routes confirms that avoidance is not a viable solution. Drone attacks on the Saudi port of Yanbu and Houthi campaigns in the Red Sea in the fall of 2023 illustrated how a player linked to Tehran could disrupt up to 15% of global trade.
The evolution of naval combat in recent decades has transformed the ocean from a mere passageway to a center of confrontation. Iran has developed asymmetric capabilities, deploying a “naval swarm” of fast boats, complemented by coastal missiles and drones, creating a constant threat to maritime routes and resilience against conventional strikes while enabling targeted or massive responses against regional infrastructures.
The concept of area denial and access bubbles are reshaping geopolitical balances at sea, raising significant legal questions regarding the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS, 1982) and maritime claims.
Despite international legal standards, practices like A2/AD challenge the freedom of navigation in strategic areas, exploiting legal ambiguities to restrict access. Legal experts highlight the need for UNCLOS adaptation to new technologies and unilateral actions, urging stronger dispute resolution mechanisms.
In this era where maritime flows—energy, commercial, digital—are not just assets but also weapons, the imperative of mastering and ensuring resilience in flux disruptions becomes crucial. This necessity finds expression in the fitting motto “Fluxuat nec mergitur” (Tossed but not sunk): we are firmly entrenched in an era of “polēmos” (war) and “rhēos” (flow).
