Sleepy History - The Strait of Hormuz

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Starting point is 00:01:29 That sofa was four days old. You should have ordered from Wayfair. With Wayfair, there's no what-if. Just style you love and quality you can trust. Visit Wayfair.cair.ca, every style, every home. is a narrow stretch of water between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Amman. It's one of the busiest waterways in the world, often referred to as a choke point. Many of the ships that pass through the strait transport essential resources,

Starting point is 00:01:59 like oil and liquefied natural gas. But how did this waterway become a place of global importance? And with headlines about the closure of the strait, another question comes to mind. Has anything like this ever happened before? We'll find out tonight. So just relax and let your mind drift as we explore the sleepy history of the Strait of Hamoos. Our story begins about 35 million years ago with the collision of two continents. Over time, under the earth, two continental plates met, the Arabian plate and the Eurasian plate. They gradually became fused together, closing up an ancient sea known as

Starting point is 00:03:14 Tethys and creating the Zagros Mountains in what is now Iran. Tectonic movement also created a depression in the earth, forming the Persian Gulf, and the Strait of Hormuz. The water here was once shallow, so shallow that at certain points you could have crossed the Gulf on foot. But then the world's ice caps began to melt, leading to rising sea levels and the flooding of the Gulf.

Starting point is 00:03:53 For millions of years, change here was slow and geological. But at some point, humans arrived. and began to settle in the area around the Strait of Hormuz. The once empty waters gradually became busy with ships, traders and merchants. But before we continue, let's take a look at the geography of the strait, to understand how and why it became so important. The Strait of Hormuz is located between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Amman.

Starting point is 00:04:38 The north coast now belongs to Iran. And on the south coast, there's a mountainous region known as the Musandam Peninsula. These days, control of this southern region is divided between Oman and the United Arab Emirates. The Strait of Hormuz is at a geographical crossroads. It's the only natural sea outlet for the Persian Gulf, providing a passage between the Middle East and India and the rest of the world. So we can see why access to the strait is so important. It's an essential gateway for trade and commerce. The strait is also relatively narrow.

Starting point is 00:05:34 At its narrowest point, it's only 20. 21 miles or 30 kilometers. We might think of it as a corridor. Clearly, having control over that corridor is advantageous. Even in ancient times, the Strait of Hormuz was seen as a strategic waterway. The people who lived in the area, the Persian Empire on the north coast, and Arab communities on the south, would have taken advantage of the opportunity. of the opportunities had offered.

Starting point is 00:06:13 The waters of the Persian Gulf provided not just fish and pearls, but access to a world of trade. From at least the time of the Echemenid Empire, founded in the 6th century BCE, the Strait of Hormuz was recognized as an important route. It connected the Persian Empire to the Indian Ocean. Ports were built. were built, settlements grew, and islands such as Keshem became hubs of commerce.

Starting point is 00:06:56 The strait of Hormuz is named after another one of its islands. The island of Hormuz may have taken its name from the Middle Persian pronunciation of Ahura Mazda, the main deity in the Zoroastrian religion. Another theory is that the name Hormuz means place of dates, a reference to the date palm trees that once lined the coast. Around the 11th century, an important kingdom began to emerge in this area, the kingdom of Hormuz. By this point in history, the area around Hormuz had become part of the Islamic world. A Turco-Persian state, known as the Kaman Seljuk Sultanate, ruled over the region that included the Strait of Hormuz. This was the era of the Silk Road, the vast trade network that spanned Asia and the Middle East.

Starting point is 00:08:10 Many towns along the route became extremely wealthy and increasingly powerful. This included Hormuz. Originally part of the Kingdom of Khmer, it then became a kingdom of its own. Initially, the capital was located on the southern coast of the Strait. But later, it was moved to the island of Hormuz, a more strategic location. The kingdom of Hormuz soon became very prosperous. Rulers took advantage of an economic opportunity. As the Strait was a maritime crossroads, which many ships were forced to pass through, the kingdom could make a profit.

Starting point is 00:09:08 From around the 11th century, it's thought that a toll was introduced. Commercial ships that wanted to cross the Strait had to pay an annual fee. This was one of the earliest known attempts to systematically control and profit from trade in the Strait of the Strait of the Strait. Hormuz. From the perspective of powers in the region, the strait was an extremely valuable resource, something to be carefully controlled and exploited. Later, in other parts of the world, different straits would also be managed with tolls or controls. For instance, from the 15th century, there was a toll on the use of the strait between modern-day Denmark and Sweden. In the Turkish straits, the Ottomans also controlled passage, sometimes imposing fees and restrictions

Starting point is 00:10:14 for vessels passing through. These kinds of systems are largely restricted under modern maritime law. But for hundreds of years, they were a valuable source of income. To a large extent, it was the control of trade through the strait that made Hormuz so wealthy. Around the the 13th century, Homoos would have been a vibrant, cosmopolitan place, with all kinds of goods for sale, spices, silk, precious stones. And while the kingdom of Hormuz was Islamic, there would have been exchanges of different cultures and religions, with traders from across Persia, the Arab world, and India. We can imagine that for a medieval traveler, Hormuz would have seemed like an exciting destination.

Starting point is 00:11:20 The historic equivalent of a lively metropolis like London, Istanbul, or New York City, albeit on a much smaller scale. One notable visitor to Hormuz was Marco Polo, a merchant and explorer from Venice. Marco Polo is best known for his travels along the Silk Road in the late 13th, 3rd. century and his vivid account of his experiences. After visiting Baghdad, Marco Polo sailed across the Persian Gulf and arrived at Hormuz, a town with tall towers, and a harbor filled with ships from many different nations. The travels of Marco Polo, the travelogue based on his experiences, includes impressions of homoes.

Starting point is 00:12:25 Here's an extract. The people lived, it appeared, mainly on dates and salt fish, and it was only when they were ill that they would taste bread. For a beverage, they drank a very strong wine, made of dates and spices. The city seemed to have but few inhabitants who actually dwelt in it. The buildings, except on the outskirts, were mostly given up to storehouses, shops, and other places of business. And the surrounding plain was covered with dwellings.

Starting point is 00:13:07 Almost every one with a pretty shady garden, whether the mass of the population resorted at nightfall. Marco soon learned that the people lived in this way on account of the oppressive heat which existed. did in the city, and found, by his own experience, that it was one of the hottest places on earth. He learned that sometimes winds swept across the deserts, so scorching that the people were obliged to plunge themselves up to the neck in cool water and stay there until the winds had gone down. Otherwise, they would be burnt to death. While many visitors commented on the intense heat in Hormuz, others had more positive impressions. By the 16th century, the kingdom of Homas had become even richer,

Starting point is 00:14:12 thanks to its control of trade and export of valuable goods such as pearls from Bahrain. Gaspar de Cruz, a Portuguese friar who traveled in the region, seems to have been impressed, remarking on the kingdom's extraordinary wealth. A local saying was that the world was a ring, and Hormuz was its stone. The Portuguese Empire was well aware of just how valuable Hormuz was. In fact, by the time of Dacruz's account, the kingdom and the strait had come under Portuguese control. To understand how this happened, let's go back to the beginning of the 16th century. At this time, there was a power struggle in the Kingdom of Homo, a family dispute over succession.

Starting point is 00:15:22 Meanwhile, over in Europe, Portugal had become a major colonial power. The Portuguese Empire controlled vast amounts of territory across the world, including parts of the Americas and Africa. Navigators had also explored the Indian Ocean. Portugal was aware just how much there was to be gained from controlling the waterways in this part of the world. By capturing strategic locations such as Homoos, Portugal could become even more powerful and wealthy. Portugal first seized control of Homoos in 1507. It was an impressive achievement, considering that by the time the Portuguese fleet arrived in Homo's, after months of travel and numerous other battles, they had just a few warships.

Starting point is 00:16:33 The ships and the men were not in the best condition. Portuguese troops were then ordered to build a fortress on Homo's. But, already exhausted and struggling, in the harsh climate, the men mutinied. The Portuguese captain, Alfonso de Albuquerque, was forced to abandon the project and leave Hormuz. But the decision clearly rankled. It said that Albuquerque vowed not to cut his beard until Hormuz was conquered. And, in 1515, with a much stronger fleet,

Starting point is 00:17:22 Albert Kerké returned to Hormuz. He negotiated with the young ruler to run Shah, who was compelled to accept Portuguese control. This time, there was no battle. The Portuguese flag was raised over Hormuz. And Albuquerque, perhaps after cutting his beard, sent his men back to work on the fortress. Hormuz was now under Portuguese rule.

Starting point is 00:18:00 Although the king remained, he was a vassal. For the next hundred years, the Portuguese Empire dominated the Persian Gulf, from their base in Goa, India. So now it was Portugal who profited from the Strait of Hormuz. Across the Indian Ocean, they instituted their own license system, known as the Cartaz, Merchant ships that traveled in the region were required to have this license. This meant they had to pass through Portuguese custom houses and pay a tax.

Starting point is 00:18:46 Otherwise, they risked being attacked. Many traders paid up, as the system was aggressively enforced. The cartaz became hugely profitable for Portugal, a significant source of revenue. Portugal was also able to profit from certain key trades. For instance, the export of war horses from Arabia and Persia to India, and with Portuguese forces controlling the Persian Gulf, it was seen as safer, at least for those who complied. A couple of contemporary sources provide an intriguing glimpse into life in Hormuz at this time.

Starting point is 00:19:37 One is an image from a 16th century collection of Portuguese illustrations. It depicts people in different parts of the world, including Hormuz. One of the illustrations appears to show a Portuguese family having dinner at their home in Hormuz. They sit at the table as servants bring food and drink. But on closer inspection, there's something unusual about the room. It's flooded. The feet of the diners are submerged beneath the water. It's been speculated that people in Hormuz may have intentionally flooded rooms in their homes

Starting point is 00:20:31 as a way to cope with the heat. We've already seen how other Europeans, including Marco Polo and the Portuguese troops, struggled with the climate. Francis Xavier, a Portuguese cleric, known for his missionary work across Asia, also visited Hormuz. He was disturbed not only by the heat, but by what he perceived as the immorality of the place.

Starting point is 00:21:09 A biography of Xavier includes impressions of Hormuz. Its moral state was enormously and infamously bad. It was the home of the foulest sensuality, and of all the most corrupted forms of every religion in the East. The Christians were as bad as the rest in the extreme license of their lives. The author then goes on to say, The riches of the place attracted every point. possible luxury to enhance the general license.

Starting point is 00:21:48 Averis was made a science. It was studied and practiced, not for gain, but for its own sake. And for the pleasure of cheating. In the eyes of some, Homer's prosperity was linked to its immorality. In Europe, the very name Hormuz, or Ormus, as it was also known, became a symbol of decadence and opulence. When the English poet John Milton wrote, Paradise Lost, a century later, he used Hormuz as a point of comparison.

Starting point is 00:22:36 In Milton's words, the throne of Satan far outshone the wealth of Ommus. Throughout the 16th century, other powers had their eye on the strait of Hormuz. The Ottomans attempted, unsuccessfully, to seize control from the Portuguese. Abbas the great, the Safavid Shah of Iran, also wanted to expel the Portuguese from the region. In 1602, Safavid forces captured the island of Bahrain, forcing the Portuguese to retreat. Twenty years later, the Safavits, with help from the English, launched a military. attack on Homoos. Now, it probably seems clear why the Safavids wanted control. Economic and military benefits aside, there was also the fact that the Strait of Hormuz was

Starting point is 00:23:43 right on the edge of their empire. But what about the English? Why did they get involved? There were a couple of reasons. Firstly, the English saw the Portuguese as rivals. Here was an opportunity to weaken Portugal's commercial dominance of the Persian Gulf. Secondly, there were benefits from an Anglo-Persian alliance. The Safavids promised the English not only to share the spoils at Homo's, but to give them access to the lucrative Persian silk trade. At this time in history, European powers, such as England, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal, were becoming increasingly ambitious and opportunistic.

Starting point is 00:24:41 England had recently established the East India Company, with the aims of trading around the Indian Ocean. As for Hormuz, Portugal had clearly prospered in this region. The English were likely keen to see what they could get. In 1622, Anglo-Persian forces successfully conquered Hormuz. ending more than a century of Portuguese occupation. Over the years, Portugal would make several unsuccessful attempts to recapture Pormuz. Nonetheless, the Portuguese remained a considerable presence in the region.

Starting point is 00:25:32 But they weren't the only ones. As well as the English East India Company, there was the Dutch East India Company, also looking to dominate trade in the Persian Gulf. the Strait of Hormuz continued to be the site of rivalry, tension, and sometimes outright conflict between other nations. After all, while the island of Hormuz was becoming less central in terms of economic importance, the Strait remained a major trade route. By the 19th century, Britain was at the height of its imperial power. It was also the dominant naval power in the Persian Gulf.

Starting point is 00:26:27 For the British, a key priority was protecting sea routes to India, which was becoming gradually colonized. In 1820, a peace agreement was signed between Britain and several rulers in the Persian Gulf. According to the treaty, there would be an end to what the British called plunder and piracy on the part of the Arabs. This somewhat coercive maritime treaty gave the British greater control over the Persian Gulf. Their actions weren't exactly devoid of self-interest. Still, it's also true that the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz became more tightly policed and in some ways safer. Before we continue, let's go back in time for a moment.

Starting point is 00:27:33 You might remember that at the beginning of our story, we discussed the formation of the Strait of Hormuz, the continental collision that took place millions of years ago. There was another important consequence of this tectonic movement. When the Arabian and Eurasian plates collided, they trapped pockets of oil and gas. For numerous reasons, including the location of the plates and the kinds of rocks in the region, this part of the world has a particularly abundant supply of oil. Kilometers underground, these oil reserves remained undiscovered for millions of years. Meanwhile, above ground, nations formed.

Starting point is 00:28:31 Territorial boundaries shifted. Empires came and went. And then, in 1901, a British businessman decided to fund a search for oil in Iran. William Knox Darcy made an agreement with the Shah of Iran. Darcy's team would search for oil. If they found it, Darcy would gain exclusive rights to look for oil in Iran. In return, the Shah stood to gain financially. A geologist named George Bernard Reynolds led the search in the deserts of southwestern Iran.

Starting point is 00:29:25 For seven years, he and his drilling team worked in brutal conditions, with temperatures often rising above 50 degrees Celsius. In May 1908, running out of money and with no oil in sight, Darcy sent a telegram to Reynolds, ordering him to stop the United States. exploration. But Reynolds kept digging and by the end of the month he struck oil. It was a so-called gusher spouting high into the sky and the reservoir wasn't just big. It was gigantic. It was estimated to hold billions of barrels of oil. It can't be overstated just how important this finding was. The discovery of oil in Iran, and later other parts of the Middle East,

Starting point is 00:30:30 would transform the global economy. There were vast reserves, which meant vast amounts of money to be made. It's worth noting that the change didn't take place overnight. At the beginning of the 20th century, infrastructure in the Middle East was rudimentary, which limited the development of the oil industry. But after the Second World War, with increasing global demand for oil, there was more investment in the region. Once the oil had been extracted from reserves in the Middle East, it had to be transported. The most efficient means of transporting huge quantities of oil was by ship. And from the Persian Gulf, as we know, there's just one natural sea. sea outlet, the Strait of Hormuz.

Starting point is 00:31:38 From the mid-20th century, the strait was busy with oil tankers. Huge amounts of crude oil were being exported from the region and transported to foreign markets. The Strait of Hormuz was, and is, one of the most important maritime routes for oil transportation. Since the discovery of oil in Iran, the industry had been dominated by foreign companies, such as the Anglo-Iranian oil company or AIOC. But in 1951, the Iranian government passed a bill to nationalize the oil industry. This was a result of years of increasing tension with other nations and the desire to take control of of a profitable resource.

Starting point is 00:32:38 For context, the AIOC, a British company, was making profits of around 40 million pounds a year from Iranian oil, while Iran received just 7 million. Within Iran, the decision to nationalize the oil industry was a popular one, but other nations were concerned, or even angered. Some people in Britain saw the oil in Iran As British oil, after all, the British were the ones who discovered it in the first place,

Starting point is 00:33:17 and then developed the industry. Oil was one of their biggest overseas assets. Iran's actions were seen as a betrayal, or even, a kind of theft. In retaliation, British warships were deployed to the port of Aberdean, home to the AIOC's oil refinery. Ships carrying Iranian oil were effectively blocked from passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The Abadam crisis, as it came to be known, was one of the events that led to the 1953 coup d'Atar. The Prime Minister of Iran was overthrown during a coup that was orchestrated by British and US intelligence.

Starting point is 00:34:15 MI6 and the CIA. This, in turn, would change the course of Iranian history. So, as we look at the chain of cause and effect, the picture becomes clearer. We gain a better understanding of the past and the present. Oil is one of the main reasons why foreign powers have been so involved with Iran over the past century. and inevitably, any conflict that impacts the transportation of oil involves the Strait of Hormuz. Anglo-Iranian relations were later repaired, to a degree at least. And while the oil feud was a crisis, it didn't involve direct war.

Starting point is 00:35:15 In the 1980s, however, the Persian Gulf became a battlefield. Iran and Iraq, and as part of that war, they both began targeting ships in the Gulf and in the Strait of Hormuz. This conflict came to be known as the tanker war, as many of the attacks were on oil tankers. The U.S. military also became involved. In 1988, during Operation Praying Mantis, U.S. forces attacked Iranian target. in the Persian Gulf. It was an act of retaliation,

Starting point is 00:36:08 after a U.S. ship was damaged by an Iranian mine. That same year, a U.S. warship in the Strait of Hormuz mistakenly identified a passenger plane as a military aircraft. Iran Air Flight 655 was shot down over the strait. Tragically, there were no. survivors. The event strained an already tense relationship between Iran and the United States. In the years since, much of the tension between Iran and other nations has been centered around the Strait of Hormuz. Geographically, it remains one of the most important places for the

Starting point is 00:37:05 global economy. And although it's generally governed by international, maritime law, which means foreign vessels have the right of passage, that hasn't prevented Iran from threatening disruption. In 2012, Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz. This was a reaction to the European Union banning oil exports from Iran. For context, since 2006, the UN Security Council has imposed numerous sanctions against Iran, targeting their nuclear weapons program. These sanctions have had a major impact on the Iranian economy. So, in the midst of the dispute about oil exports, Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, but didn't follow through.

Starting point is 00:38:11 In 2018, Iran once again threatened to close the strait in response to U.S. sanctions. Again, the strait remained open, but tension escalated. The U.S. accused Iran of harassing, attacking, or seizing international vessels, including oil tankers. Then, in 2025, conflict between Iran and Israel and the United States led to yet another threat to close the strait. But, while the Iranian parliament voted to close it, once again, the strait remained open. What's interesting about these incidents is that they didn't have much of an impact on oil prices. There was no doubt that the closure of the strait would have a major effect on the global economy. And yet, it seems that the general view was that the threats were just words.

Starting point is 00:39:24 Iran wasn't actually going to close the Strait of Homoos. It was a bluff. Besides, it didn't seem to be in Iran's interest, given that their economy was also dependent on the strait. At least, that's what many thought up until recently. In February 2006, everything changed. The US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran. assassinating the supreme leader Ali Khomeini and triggering a war.

Starting point is 00:40:08 As the conflict escalated, Iran closed the Strait of Homoos. Ships were attacked and mines planted. Additionally, the situation caused the cost of insurance to surge. Aside from the physical danger, it no longer made financial sense for ships to travel in the strait. The ongoing closure of the strait and blockades on both sides has wreaked havoc on the global economy and supply chain. About 25% of the world's seaborne oil is transported through the strait each year. It's also an essential route for liquefied natural gas, fertilizers and other vital resources. The crisis seems to have affected almost every country in one way or another.

Starting point is 00:41:16 So much of the world is dependent on the Strait of Hormuz. And despite the active intervention of the US military, there hasn't been a quick resolution. The situation seems to have taken everyone by surprise. Reflecting on the history of the Strait of Hormuz, we can gain a better understanding of recent events. We've seen how the strait has long been viewed as a waterway of great strategic and economic importance, one worth fighting over.

Starting point is 00:42:07 We've seen how the discovery of oil at the beginning of the 20th century raised the stakes, making the strait even more crucial. And we've traced the rising tension between Iranians. and other countries, with the strait being used as a geopolitical tool. In a sense, the events of 2006 shouldn't seem so surprising. There's been a build-up, but at the same time, it's true that the closure of the strait is without historical precedent. While previous conflicts had a wide-reaching impact, the modern world is more interconnected,

Starting point is 00:43:01 than ever. This time, the impact is global. As we come to the end of our story, here's something to think about. The history of the Strait of Hormuz has been shaped by human ambition. In essence, the Strait itself is nothing more than a body of water. For millions of years, that's all it was, part of the landscape. Then humans came along, and and turn the strait into something invaluable. According to the geologist Mike Searle, the strait of Hormuz will one day close for good, not as a result of human intervention,

Starting point is 00:44:03 but gradual tectonic movement. That's not due to happen for millions of years. In the meantime, no doubt, humans will continue to add chapters to the strait's extraordinary history.

Sleepy History - The Strait of Hormuz

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