The Strait of Hormuz has quickly become one of the most recognizable bodies of water on Earth. As someone who has spent most of their career thus far specializing in America’s relationships in the Indo-Pacific and Europe, and the growing relationship between the two, it’s not a subject that I thought I would approach much. However, even when taking part in meetings in Tokyo and Seoul, I am consistently forced to confront the reality of the Strait and its impact across the world.
More times than I can count, I have prepared to discuss matters of regional importance, such as North Korean missile tests and new emerging security threats in the region, when a breaking news story about the Iranian Revolutionary Guard either attacking or seizing a Japanese or South Korean commercial vessel would upend and take precedence in our meeting.
It’s easy to understand why. The Strait of Hormuz and their relationship with the Gulf States have only risen in importance for the nations of Europe and the Indo-Pacific. Approximately 25 percent of the global crude oil supply and 20 percent of natural gas flow through the Strait. And, also extremely important for the Indo-Pacific and Taiwan in particular, 33 percent of the world’s liquefied helium, originating from Qatar, traverses the Strait, which is essential for use in the manufacture of microchips and other electronic devices. As it stands now, the global economy is extremely dependent on this waterway, and unfortunately, Iran knows it.
Since 1984, Iran has either attacked or seized nearly 350 commercial vessels before the recent hostilities broke out, and an additional 22 commercial vessels have been attacked since April 2026. Iran has consistently been leveraging its location on the Strait, targeting and threatening global shipping as part of its strategy to exert pressure and dominance in the region and the world.
How can we solve this problem? Realistically, even if a peace deal is made in the near future to end the current crisis (as of May 2026), given the historical record, it is likely that in a few years, we will once again face an Iran that decides to begin targeting shipping lanes. And once again, the American and possibly European taxpayers will be left to foot the bill for resolving the future crisis and keeping shipping lanes open.
The best long-term solution to this problem would be finding a way to bypass the Strait of Hormuz altogether, and we may have found a way to do just that.
The India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (or IMEC for short) is a newly proposed land route that would not only reduce the use of the Strait but also reduce transport costs by 30 percent and the time to travel from Europe to Asia and vice versa by 40 percent.
While trade would still pass through parts of the Strait of Hormuz, IMEC would limit prolonged exposure to the traditional Gulf-to-Suez maritime corridor by moving goods from India to UAE ports before transferring them to overland routes toward Europe. Very importantly, while this doesn’t completely cut Hormuz out of the picture, it does remove the absolute necessity of the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, which Iran has been targeting through their proxies, the Houthis.
‘IMEC’s economic gains could finally provide real incentives and benefits, bringing peace to the region’
One of IMEC’s most significant potential advantages is that it could encourage deeper regional cooperation between Israel and its neighbors by tying economic prosperity to long-term stability, while also creating opportunities for substantial Palestinian economic growth through infrastructure, trade, and investment. Traversing by land and over rail, oil, natural gas, liquid helium, and other essential goods would cross the region, ending in ports in Israel, which would then travel to Europe via the Mediterranean. It is feasible that IMEC’s economic gains could finally provide real incentives and benefits, bringing peace to the region that so many have long hoped for.
What’s the catch? There is still a lot to build and several political hurdles to overcome to make this all work. At the start, around 2,800 km of rail and potential pipeline would have to be constructed from Saudi Arabia to the Levant, major modernization of several ports in the UAE, Israel, and India, and the political constraints of crossing borders and customs between the potential partner countries.
Couple this with a potential $20 billion price tag and a ten-year time frame to become fully operational, and IMEC is a very long-term project that still has several obstacles to overcome before it becomes a reality. However, given the potential benefits and the consistent threat from Iran on global shipping, the investment is more than worth it.
The solution is on the table. The only question is who is willing to help pick up the tab.
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