Antithesis in the Persian Gulf
Transactional Sovereignty in the Strait "The spice must flow." In Frank Herbert’s Dune, that iron law sustained an interstellar empire. In April 2026, it governs the real world. The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow chokepoint through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and LNG supplies have historically passed, stands severely restricted amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. Tanker traffic has plummeted. Brent crude has surged past $100–$110 per barrel, with spikes higher in recent weeks. Gas prices are climbing in the United States and far more painfully elsewhere. Thousands of vessels sit idle or reroute at enormous cost. President Trump’s…