IRAN WAR: MARITIME DIMENSIONSMaritime Dimensions of the West Asia War
Despite the USs possessing overwhelming superiority over Iran in the naval domain, it has been unable to deter or prevent Iranian disruption of maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s selective restrictions on transit showcase how geopolitical alignments influence commercial navigation and international trade flows.
On 22 January 2026, US President Donald Trump announced that a massive American naval armada was heading towards Iran.[1] This came after weeks of speculation regarding the US response to the Iranian government’s crackdown on protestors. Military analysts and strategic observers identified this naval build-up as a precursor to an imminent war with Iran. The build-up of the US naval posture in the days leading up to the current hostilities clearly illustrated two critical attributes of the US Navy’s intended role. First, to spearhead offensive kinetic operations aimed at destroying strategic targets and degrading Iran’s capability to retaliate. Second, to support defensive operations across the region by strengthening air-defense grids for protecting vital US military infrastructure and its allies in West Asia.
Iran, on the other hand, despite possessing relatively modest naval capabilities, was expected to leverage its geographic positioning by threatening or attempting to block the Strait of Hormuz, thereby disrupting global energy shipping. Approximately 20 million barrels of oil per day—accounting for over 20 per cent of global consumption—pass through the Strait of Hormuz, making it one of the most critical global energy chokepoints.[2] Iran’s success in potentially blocking this chokepoint was bound to create a major global shipping crisis, thereby generating international pressure on the US and its allies in the region.
As the war has progressed beyond a fortnight, it can be observed that the hostilities in the maritime theatre have manifested largely in line with the naval strategies of both belligerents. The naval efforts of both sides have been directed towards achieving their strategic objectives that were anticipated before the outbreak of hostilities. The US, while succeeding in destroying most of Iran’s major naval assets, including several frontline warships, has not fully managed to prevent attacks on neutral shipping or the disruption of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran, on the other hand, despite suffering major losses of its naval capability within the initial days of the War, has managed to exert substantial pressure on the US by relentlessly targeting shipping passing through the Strait of Hormuz. This brief assesses the evolving dynamics of the maritime theatre of the ongoing conflict.
