Describe the trade/terrorist difficulty in the Strait of Hormuz.

• A. Iran threatens to block shipping and deploy mines
• B. The Strait of Hormuz remains open and unrestricted
• C. Iran negotiates a maritime corridor with shipping companies
• D. Iran reduces oil exports to zero

Answer: (A)

The trade/terrorist difficulty is the risk of disrupting global oil shipments through coercive moves at a major chokepoint. The Strait of Hormuz handles a large share of the world’s oil traffic, so threats to block shipping or to lay mines would create immediate supply uncertainty and drive price volatility. The strongest description is that Iran could threaten to block shipping and deploy mines, which captures the kind of direct disruption that would seriously affect worldwide trade routes. The other scenarios—everything remaining open, negotiating a cooperative maritime corridor, or reducing exports to zero—don’t reflect the real-world leverage and pressure that such a strait closure or mining threat represents.