Israel launched strikes against Iran on June 13, saying it targeted nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders during the start of a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon.

Conflict between Israel and Iran has rekindled fears of a disruption to a narrow waterway key to the global economy. Skyscraper-sized tankers ferry roughly one-fifth of the world’s petroleum, as well as massive cargoes of natural gas,

The Strait of Hormuz is both a vital passage point and a permanent point of tension. As long as the world depends on Oil from the Persian Gulf, its security will remain a major geostrategic concern. If Iran were to cross the red line, the consequences would not be limited to barrels of Oil, but the global economic balance could be shaken.