Iran’s trump card ...
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Despite Iran’s central position at the junction of three continents — potentially making it the heart of global transit — its presence in the seven major trade routes that have emerged over the past couple of decades to connect East–West and North–South has been minimal. Nearly all of these routes bypass Iran.
In the China–Europe “Silk Road” corridor, the main consideration is using Iran’s Caspian Sea maritime route. The International North–South Transport Corridor, planned to run through Iran, still suffers from incomplete railway links — specifically the Chabahar–Zahedan and Rasht–Astara lines. The practical exclusion of Iran from trade corridors — despite Iranian routes being shorter and cheaper — illustrates how the country’s geopolitical position remains underutilized. The same trend is evident in other domains, especially in the Persian Gulf, where Iran’s geopolitical edge is fading.
Robert Kaplan, in his seminal book The Revenge of Geography, notes that all the oil of Greater Middle East lies either south or north of Iran, placing Iran in the best position for the transit and oversight of energy routes.
Iran possesses unique geopolitical advantages in the Persian Gulf as well. Four Iranian islands along the northern belt of the Strait of Hormuz grant Iran strategic oversight over this vital waterway. Iran has the longest coastline along the Persian Gulf, the deepest waters near its shores, and the marine traffic separation lines at the western exit of the Strait of Hormuz inevitably pass near six Iranian islands. Furthermore, with over 500 kilometers of coastline along the Sea of Oman and the Arabian Sea — and with Chabahar Port on its shores — Iran offers the most suitable access route for Central Asian countries to open seas.
Now that Iran is under attack by the United States and Israel, it is leveraging the Strait of Hormuz — this chokepoint of global energy transit — well to exert pressure on other countries and seize the initiative in the conflict. Therefore, it can be said that even with technological advancements, geopolitical features will continue to be a critical element of national power for centuries to come.