In the context of Iran tightening control over the Strait of Hormuz, the Houthi forces in Yemen - Tehran's ally - are seeking to disrupt the transport route through the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait - the only gateway to the Suez Canal.
Intercepting the entrance to the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, these 2 maritime routes are considered the "blood vessels" of international trade. A series of oil and gas tankers and container ships loaded with goods are forced to travel through these narrow natural corridors.
According to maritime geopolitics expert Sylvain Domergue - lecturer at the Bordeaux Academy of Political Studies (Sciences Po Bordeaux) and author of the book Maritime Geopolitics, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) stipulates that natural straits must be guaranteed the principle of freedom of navigation and not subject to any fee control.
On the contrary, artificial canals such as Panama or Suez are managed and charged by the host country.
Iran, although not ratifying UNCLOS 1982, has always complied with the regulation of no fees in the Strait of Hormuz according to international customs.
Also according to expert Sylvain Domergue, Portugal from 1507 sought to impose control over Hormuz to monopolize the access to spices and the wealth of the East.
In the early 17th century, the Mare Liberum (Liberal Sea) doctrine of Dutch philosopher Hugo Grotius prevailed with the argument "the sea does not belong to anyone", considering the straits as a vital factor for global trade.
This idea was successively applied by the Netherlands, Britain and the United States. However, the British still cleverly used the geography of the straits to shape the colonial empire. London established a base in Singapore to control the Malacca Strait, and at the same time established a post on Socotra Island to guard the Bab el-Mandeb strait gate.
In Europe, Danish straits such as Oresund and Kattegat have also become strategic "bottlenecks" as they help Denmark collect maritime tolls and prevent Baltic powers from reaching out to the Atlantic Ocean.
The only exception currently legally charged is the Turkish Strait Group (Bosphorus and Dardanelles) because it is regulated by the 1936 Montreux Convention.
