Defense Priorities Defense Priorities
  • Policy Topics
    • Israel-Iran
    • Ukraine-Russia
    • NATO
    • China
    • Syria
  • Research
    • Briefs
    • Explainers
    • Reports
  • Programs
    • Grand Strategy Program
    • Military Analysis Program
    • Asia Program
    • Middle East Program
  • Experts
  • Events
  • Media
  • About
    • Mission & Vision
    • People
    • Jobs
    • Contact
  • Donate
Select Page
Home / Middle East / Does the Persian Gulf still matter?
Middle East

July 20, 2024

Does the Persian Gulf still matter?

By Sabreena Croteau

Since suffering the economic impact of the 1973 oil embargo, the United States has considered the free flow of oil from the Persian Gulf to be of the utmost importance to its economic and national security. More than fifty years since the events of 1973, the United States is now considering a security pact with Saudi Arabia, a proposal driven, at least in part, by the supposed importance of U.S. access to Persian Gulf oil.

Washington maintains that the Persian Gulf is central to U.S. security interests for several reasons. First, the United States views the safe transit of oil out of the gulf as a vital economic and security concern. Second, dominance in the Persian Gulf means dominance over three critical chokepoints in maritime commerce: the Hormuz Strait, the Suez Canal, and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Third, the investment of the Saudi oil surplus into U.S. government obligations maintains a global oil market priced in U.S. dollars, which in turn is a core component in maintaining the position of the dollar as the global reserve currency and underwrites U.S. financial supremacy.

These three core reasons are then accompanied by a fourth: If the United States does not continually assert its dominance over the region, then a competing great power (formerly the Soviet Union and now China) will seek to bring the region into its own sphere of influence. However, the global economy has changed dramatically since the 1970s, as have the geopolitical security dynamics. Is the Persian Gulf still as vital to U.S. security? Is it worth an additional security obligation?

Read at The National Interest

Author

Photo of Sabreena Croteau

Sabreena
Croteau

Contributing Fellow

Defense Priorities

More on Middle East

op-edIsrael‑Iran, Iran, Israel, Middle East

What lessons are foreign leaders taking from Donald Trump’s Iran bombing?

By Daniel DePetris

July 1, 2025

op-edGrand strategy, China, Iran, North Korea, Russia

There is no ‘axis of autocracy’

By Daniel DePetris

July 1, 2025

op-edIsrael‑Iran, Basing and force posture, Middle East

The Iran strike shows we don’t need bases in the Middle East

By Jennifer Kavanagh and Dan Caldwell

June 28, 2025

op-edGrand strategy, Americas, China, Iran, Middle East, Russia

How not to do multipolarity

By Anthony Constantini

June 28, 2025

op-edIsrael‑Iran, Iran, Israel, Middle East

The real obstacle to peace with Iran

By Rosemary Kelanic and Jennifer Kavanagh

June 25, 2025

In the mediaIsrael‑Iran, Middle East

Is Iran really a threat to the United States? A debate

Featuring Rosemary Kelanic

June 25, 2025

Events on Middle East

See All Events
virtualGreat power competition, Balance of power, China, Grand strategy, Middle East

Past Virtual Event: U.S.-China competition and the value of Middle East influence

June 10, 2025
virtualMiddle East, Basing and force posture, Diplomacy, Houthis, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Israel‑Hamas, Military analysis, Syria

Past Virtual Event: Trump in the Middle East: Impacts, implications, and alternatives

May 16, 2025
virtualSyria, Balance of power, Basing and force posture, Counterterrorism, Middle East, Military analysis

Past Virtual Event: Syria after Assad: Prospects for U.S. withdrawal

February 21, 2025

Receive expert foreign policy analysis

Join the hub of realism and restraint

Expert updates and analysis to enhance your understanding of vital U.S. national security issues

Defense Priority Mono Logo

Our mission is to inform citizens, thought leaders, and policymakers of the importance of a strong, dynamic military—used more judiciously to protect America’s narrowly defined national interests—and promote a realistic grand strategy prioritizing restraint, diplomacy, and free trade to ensure U.S. security.

  • About
  • For Media
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact
© 2025 Defense Priorities All Right Reserved