How does Iran use the Strait of Hormuz as its primary leverage against US power?

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Iran uses the Strait of Hormuz to internationalise the costs of excluding or attacking it, rather than to militarily outmatch the United States
Iran treats the Strait of Hormuz as one of its few remaining strategic leverage tools against the United States, which it recognises has overwhelming conventional military power. Since Tehran cannot realistically compete carrier-for-carrier, aircraft-for-aircraft, or dollar-for-dollar, it focuses on showing that excluding, sanctioning, or attacking Iran carries costs that spill over to international shipping and other countries. As the text puts it, every delayed tanker, every increased insurance premium, and every shipping company forced to change routes turns geography into political leverage.
Iran’s leverage works through shipping delays and rising commercial costs
Iran’s approach hinges on the strait’s economic role as a high-sensitivity maritime artery. When tanker traffic slows sharply and insurers and shipping assessments move to higher threat levels, the burden is no longer confined to Iran and the United States. The reference describes how, after attacks on three commercial vessels, tanker traffic slowed, oil prices rose, and the threat assessment for commercial shipping was raised to “severe”.
The “internationalised costs” message targets sanctions, exclusion, and attacks
Tehran’s stated logic is that if it cannot export its energy securely, adversaries should not assume their own energy exports will continue without interruption. This framing is tied to the idea that the costs of excluding or attacking Iran will be borne internationally, not just by Washington. The text links this directly to the operational effects of disruption: delays, insurance premium increases, and route reconsiderations by shipping companies.
Iran’s strategy exploits a mismatch in military capability by avoiding a full Gulf-wide contest
The text explicitly notes that Iran does not need to dominate the entire Gulf militarily to exert leverage. It instead relies on the ability to affect access and passage through Hormuz, where the United States cannot allow Iran to establish a de facto right to determine which vessels may use an international waterway. This helps explain why the standoff persists despite the United States’ conventional advantage: Iran’s bargaining tool is maritime exposure rather than battlefield parity.
Hormuz remains central because disruption forces external actors to pay the price
The strait is described as remaining central because delays and cost spillovers compel international actors to absorb consequences. The reference also highlights the scale of impact beyond immediate exchanges: the International Maritime Organization verified at least 46 attacks against international shipping around Hormuz since February 28, and in July reported hundreds of vessels and roughly 6,000 seafarers remained stranded in the Persian Gulf. In that setting, Iran’s leverage is not presented as a single decisive strike, but as repeated pressure that keeps commercial passage under threat.

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How does Iran use the Strait of Hormuz as its primary leverage against US power?

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