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.

Qatar, among the world's biggest liquefied natural gas exporters, sends almost all of its LNG through the strait. Iran has threatened over the years to block the strait but has never followed through. The U.S. Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, is tasked with protecting commercial shipping in the area.