The Strait of Hormuz is no longer Iran's lifeline, because it has China.
The Iranian parliament has passed a bill to close the Strait of Hormuz for the first time, causing global anxiety. But many people overlooked a key background:
90% of Iran's oil exports are now directly sent to China.
In May 2025, China helped Iran complete a cross-border oil railway, bypassing the strait and connecting directly to Xinjiang.
In other words, Iran has long been prepared for the 'closure of the strait.' It is not cutting off its own lifeline, but rather only cutting off the lifeline of the West.
Why is this considered a strategic reversal?
From 'being blockaded' to 'being the one applying pressure'
In the past, the West would often threaten to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, choking Iran's oil and gas lifeline. Now, Iran is turning the tables:
I can close it without issue, can you hold on?
The strategic binding between China and Iran has deepened.
With the railway operational, the channel for 'decoupling from the dollar' and 'decoupling from the West' in terms of energy has officially formed. Iran can export oil, and China can afford to buy oil; the dollar and the Strait of Hormuz are no longer essential.
What truly makes the global market panic is being locked.
For countries like Europe, the U.S., Japan, South Korea, and India, which still rely on maritime routes, a blockade of the strait would mean a cliff in crude oil supply, and energy prices could rise for several months.
Iran is not closing the strait for its own sake; it is using the 'strait' as a card to pressure the West, launching an economically strategic nuclear bomb under the confidence of the new China-Iran energy corridor.
The strait may be blocked, but Iran is no longer suffocating. What is truly at risk of suffocation is the nerves of the global market.