Snorkeling in the Strait of Hormuz
With Iran threatening to attack, points of entry to the strait are ready to turn into sprawling maritime parking lots, filled with idle ships waiting for their escorts.
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Last week, Iran assumed the position it had long threatened to take, that of the troll under the bridge determining which ships can pass into and out of the Persian Gulf. Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was throttled down to almost nothing, and the next phase of the war—predictable to anyone who has thought about what a war with Iran might look like, or who has ever looked at a map—became clear. The United States and its Arab allies will try to keep oil and gas flowing out of the gulf, and food and other goods flowing in. Iran will try to stop them and make life in the desert metropolises of Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar unlivable. With Iran threatening to attack, points of entry to the strait are ready to turn into sprawling maritime parking lots, filled with idle ships waiting for their escorts.
When my flight out of Dubai was canceled, I had an idle day of my own. On Thursday, an Iranian drone hit 1,000 yards from my hotel. On Friday, another hit 500 yards away. Just in case the Iranians’ aim was improving by 500 yards every day, I figured Saturday would be a good day for an excursion while I waited for a flight home. That is how I ended up on a snorkeling trip in the Strait of Hormuz.
