A blockade here could endanger global oil trade

But will Iran dare to completely close the Strait of Hormuz? Questionable. Three quarters of the oil from the Gulf ends up in Asia, almost half of it in China and India. The governments there are likely to use all their influence on Iran to at least guarantee deliveries to Asia. After China, Singapore, South Korea and Japan, most oil passes through the Strait of Malacca, a total of almost 16 million barrels per day. Around three million barrels for Europe and America take the shortcut through the 26 kilometer wide Bab el-Mandeb strait (“Gate of Tears”), which then reach the Mediterranean by tanker through the Suez Canal or via the Sumed pipeline to the Egyptian port city of Alexandria.