If You're Listening We were warned about the Strait of Hormuz
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Mar 26, 2026 A half-built pipeline in the desert and the puddle where it stops set the scene for a story about failed infrastructure. Long-planned routes to India and past Red Sea pipelines that barely worked are explored. Political pressure, sanctions and strategic choices that kept Hormuz central are uncovered. The episode traces decades of blocked bypass plans and the real costs for nearby countries.
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Iran's Half Finished Pipeline Ends In A Desert Puddle
- Iran completed its portion of a 2,615 km gas pipeline that stops at a puddle in the Makran Desert near Pakistan's border.
- Pakistan and India never finished their sections, leaving a thousand-kilometre pipeline delivering gas to an abandoned desert terminal.
Hormuz Closure Causes Immediate Regional Energy Pain
- Closing the Strait of Hormuz quickly exposes downstream countries like Pakistan and India to severe fuel shortages.
- Pakistan faced school closures and driving bans while India saw LPG shortages forcing households onto firewood.
US Strategy Combined Military Presence With A Risky Bet
- The US has long treated unobstructed flow through Hormuz as a core national interest and built up military presence to deter closures.
- Historical incidents like the 1987 USS Stark missile strike and the 1988 downing of an Iranian airliner show the region's volatility.