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Context

• The American B-1B Lancer bomber flew over the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil traded passes.
• It also flew over the Red Sea, its narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Egypt's Suez Canal.

Strait of Hormuz

• The Strait of Hormuz is a strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
• It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean and is one of the world's most strategically important choke points.
• On the north coast lies Iran, and on the south coast the United Arab Emirates and Musandam, an exclave of Oman.
• A third of the world's liquefied natural gas and almost 25% of total global oil consumption passes through the strait, making it a highly important strategic location for international trade.

Bab-el-Mandeb

• The Bab-el-Mandeb is a strait between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula, and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa.
• It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
• The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a chokepoint between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, and it is a strategic link between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean.
• The island of Perim divides the strait into two channels, of which the eastern is known as the Bab Iskender (Alexander's Strait), while the western is known as Dact-el-Mayun.

Suez Canal

• The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia.
• The Canal provides the shortest maritime route between Europe and the lands lying around the Indian and western Pacific oceans.
• The canal extends 193 km between Port Said in the north and Suez in the south.
• The canal utilizes several lakes: from north to south, Lake Manzala, Lake Timsah , and the Bitter Lakes—Great Bitter Lake and Little Bitter Lake.
• About 12% of world trade passes through the canal each year, everything from crude oil to grains to instant coffee.
• It allows tankers and container ships to avoid a long trip around the southern tip of Africa.

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