The deeper issue is whether post-war reconstruction and security in the Gulf will be handled through negotiation or recurring coercion
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenRam ManikkalingamRam Manikkalingam is director of the Dialogue Advisory Group. Published: 8:30pm, 27 Apr 2026The Strait of Hormuz is usually described as a chokepoint. Today, it is more than that. It is the hinge point between war and peace in the Gulf.
A ceasefire in the air and on land would coexist uneasily with an undeclared conflict at sea. In that sense, Hormuz is not a side issue to be settled later. It has become more central to ending the war.
That is why a simple return to the pre-war status quo, though attractive, would be incomplete. It might temporarily reopen shipping, but it would not answer demands for reconstruction. It might reassure markets for a time, but it would leave incentives for future brinkmanship intact.
