By Syeda Farheen Naqi Mossavi 

The Strait of Hormuz: Iran's geographic destiny and strategic red line

HAFIZABAD, Pakistan - For centuries, the narrow blue artery that separates the Arabian Peninsula from the Iranian plateau has been more than a mere shipping lane. The Strait of Hormuz, at its slenderest point a mere 21 nautical miles across, has functioned as the world's petroleum lifeline, the chokepoint through which approximately a fifth of global oil consumption once flowed.