For decades, the Strait of Hormuz has been the world's most critical oil gateway, with millions of barrels of crude passing through it every day. But repeated disruptions to oil supplies across the globe have exposed just how vulnerable that dependence is, prompting Gulf nations to resort to an ambitious network of pipelines designed to move oil without relying on the narrow waterway.

A Houthi blockade against Saudi Arabian shipping underscores how new pipelines and export routes remain vulnerable

Before the war in Iran, roughly 15 million barrels of Persian Gulf oil were shipped each day through the Strait of Hormuz.