The Strait of Hormuz is a strategic maritime chokepoint and a narrow waterway that serves as the sole sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean via the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Geographically, it separates the Arabian Peninsula from Iran, with Iran to the north and the Musandam enclave of Oman and the United Arab Emirates to the south.
Its legal status is governed by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Under Part III of UNCLOS, the strait is subject to the regime of Transit Passage. This provision allows for the "freedom of navigation and overflight solely for the purpose of continuous and expeditious transit" through straits used for international navigation, even though the waterway falls within the territorial waters of the littoral states.
The strait is approximately 21 miles wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lanes are only two miles wide in either direction. It is the world's most important oil transit route; approximately 21% of global petroleum liquids consumption passes through it daily, including significant volumes of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from Qatar.
For the UPSC exam, this falls under GS Paper I (World Geography) and GS Paper II (International Relations/Energy Security). It is critical for India’s energy security, as a vast majority of India’s crude oil imports from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait transit this route. Related concepts include Operation Sankalp (the Indian Navy’s maritime security operation in the region), the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), and the Chabahar Port, which serves as a strategic alternative to bypass regional bottlenecks.