The answer to who controls the Strait of Hormuz can be seen on the map attached to your article (“Why this shock may be different”, March 23).
It is the Island of Qeshm on the north shore of the strait. It is heavily fortified and houses fast Iranian attack boats protected inside tunnels. It would be difficult to capture and keep, but the US could do it.
Iran would then be unable to threaten nearby shipping, and its capture would be a salutary lesson for the international blackmail it is undertaking.
Continued occupation of the island by the US would be a major embarrassment to Iran but would ensure free passage for international trade for years to come.
Bernard Benson
Parklands
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