{"id":421028,"date":"2026-06-08T17:17:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T13:47:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scfr.ir\/uncategorized\/421028\/the-strait-of-hormuz-and-future-competition-and-battles-over-rare-minerals\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T17:17:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T13:47:41","slug":"the-strait-of-hormuz-and-future-competition-and-battles-over-rare-minerals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scfr.ir\/en\/economy\/421028\/the-strait-of-hormuz-and-future-competition-and-battles-over-rare-minerals\/","title":{"rendered":"The Strait of Hormuz and Future Competition and Battles Over Rare Minerals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Arman Saliminezhad \u2013 Regional Affairs Expert<\/em><\/p>\n

For over a century, oil has been the cornerstone of global geopolitical power, and the Strait of Hormuz, as the most critical energy chokepoint, has played a decisive role in international security. Any crisis in this waterway could shock the global economy and alter the balance of power.<\/p>\n

However, today’s world is entering a different phase. If oil was the engine of the twentieth century’s industrial revolution, critical minerals now constitute the backbone of the digital economy and advanced industries of the twenty-first century. Gallium, germanium, lithium, and rare earth elements have now acquired vital importance for producing semiconductors, artificial intelligence, defense industries, advanced batteries, and space technologies.<\/p>\n

Under such circumstances, the concept of a “new Hormuz” is no longer limited to the passage of oil tankers but relates to controlling the supply chains of strategic materials upon which the world’s technology-driven economy has become dependent. This transformation has ushered global geopolitics into a new phase\u2014a phase in which future wars will be fought not only over energy but also over the raw materials for producing technological power.<\/p>\n

The Onset of Competition Over Rare Mineral Supply Chains<\/strong><\/p>\n

Major powers have well understood that dependence on limited mineral resources could become their strategic Achilles’ heel. For this reason, competition over controlling supply chains has now become one of the most important axes of global policy.<\/p>\n

In recent years, China has achieved a dominant position in processing and exporting many critical minerals. Beijing’s new regulations concerning the security of mineral supply chains indicate that the Chinese government does not view this domain merely as an economic issue but rather as part of its national security and geopolitical power.<\/p>\n

In response, the United States and Europe have also launched extensive efforts to reduce dependence on China. Initiatives such as strategic mineral stockpiling in the United States and Europe’s efforts to redefine supply chains reflect the West’s profound concern about its technological vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n

However, the fundamental problem is that creating alternative supply chains will be a time-consuming and costly process. Many Western industries\u2014from semiconductor manufacturing to defense industries\u2014remain dependent on imports of these materials, and any disruption in supply could plunge the global economy into crisis.<\/p>\n

The Strait of Hormuz, Maritime Security, and the New Geography of Power<\/strong><\/p>\n

In this context, the Strait of Hormuz has maintained its strategic importance, but this importance has now acquired new dimensions. The Persian Gulf is no longer merely an oil transit route but constitutes part of vital global trade routes, digital infrastructure, and strategic material supply chains.<\/p>\n

Any extensive crisis in the region would affect not only energy markets but also the world’s complex network of advanced industries. Western technology industries are highly dependent on the stability of maritime routes and supply chains, and this very issue has heightened the geopolitical sensitivity of the Persian Gulf.<\/p>\n

In such an environment, Iran is not merely an energy actor but has become part of the equation of global supply chain security. Iran’s geopolitical position, access to strategic waterways, and its role in regional security mean that any military confrontation with Tehran would have consequences far beyond the oil market. It is here that the concept of deterrence also transforms. Deterrence today is no longer limited to missiles and military capacity but has also become dependent on the ability to influence the global economy, technological security, and market perceptions.<\/p>\n

Cognitive Warfare and the Psychological Economy of Markets<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the most important dimensions of the new competition is cognitive warfare surrounding supply chain security. Global markets have become more sensitive than ever to perceptions and expectations. Even the possibility of a crisis in the Persian Gulf or restricted access to rare minerals could lead to sharp price increases and market instability.<\/p>\n

Within this framework, perception management has become part of geopolitical power. In recent years, Iran has demonstrated its capacity to use media, cyber, and cognitive tools to increase the psychological costs of any confrontation for the West. This issue gains particular significance in circumstances where Western economies face inflationary crises and technological competition.<\/p>\n

In response, the West is also redefining its cybersecurity and economic doctrine. Concerns about supply chain security, protecting technological infrastructure, and countering cognitive warfare have now become part of the grand strategy of national security for the United States and Europe.<\/p>\n

The reality is that future wars will no longer be decided solely on traditional military battlefields. The speed of supply chain disruption, the power to manipulate market perceptions, and the ability to generate psychological shocks can be as decisive as military power. As some Western analysts have noted, in future wars, speed and flexibility may become more important than the scale and volume of weaponry.<\/p>\n

The world is entering a new era of geopolitical competition in which rare minerals have acquired a status similar to that of oil in the previous century. Traditional energy chokepoints have now become intertwined with technology supply chains and advanced industries, and this very issue has transformed the concept of global security. In this new order, the Strait of Hormuz is not merely an oil transit route but constitutes part of the vital network of the digital economy and the world’s strategic industries. Therefore, any crisis in the region could have consequences far beyond the energy market and affect technological security and the global economy.<\/p>\n

Competition over rare minerals indicates that future wars will be fought not only over territory or energy but also over control of the infrastructure for producing technological power\u2014a battle in which economy, perception, and technology have become as important as missiles and naval vessels.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SCFR Online \u2013 Opinion: Competition among great powers is no longer solely about oil; rather, control over rare minerals has now become the most important geopolitical arena for the global economy and technology. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":420989,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13,13268,13427,12726],"tags":[46938,46939,46940,44116,18311,35599],"class_list":["post-421028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-note","category-strategic-perspective","category-10-en-2","tag-arman-saliminezhad","tag-future-battles","tag-mineral-war","tag-rare-minerals","tag-strait-of-hormuz-en","tag---en"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Strait of Hormuz and Future Competition and Battles Over Rare Minerals - Strategic Council on Foreign Relations<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scfr.ir\/en\/economy\/421028\/the-strait-of-hormuz-and-future-competition-and-battles-over-rare-minerals\/\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scfr.ir\\\/en\\\/economy\\\/421028\\\/the-strait-of-hormuz-and-future-competition-and-battles-over-rare-minerals\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scfr.ir\\\/en\\\/economy\\\/421028\\\/the-strait-of-hormuz-and-future-competition-and-battles-over-rare-minerals\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\u062c\u0648\u0627\u062f \u0645\u062f\u062f\u06cc\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scfr.ir\\\/fa\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/35df72a1a82f18cf1cb487d0c5afdb26\"},\"headline\":\"The Strait of Hormuz and Future Competition and Battles Over Rare Minerals\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-08T13:47:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scfr.ir\\\/en\\\/economy\\\/421028\\\/the-strait-of-hormuz-and-future-competition-and-battles-over-rare-minerals\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":959,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scfr.ir\\\/fa\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scfr.ir\\\/en\\\/economy\\\/421028\\\/the-strait-of-hormuz-and-future-competition-and-battles-over-rare-minerals\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scfr.ir\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/727ee41c295a4ef49cd59297f8874c69.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Arman Saliminezhad\",\"Future Battles\",\"Mineral War\",\"Rare Minerals\",\"Strait of Hormuz\",\"\u0627\u0645\u0646\u06cc\u062a \u062f\u0631\u06cc\u0627\u06cc\u06cc\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Economy\",\"Note\",\"Strategic Perspective\",\"Top News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scfr.ir\\\/en\\\/economy\\\/421028\\\/the-strait-of-hormuz-and-future-competition-and-battles-over-rare-minerals\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scfr.ir\\\/en\\\/economy\\\/421028\\\/the-strait-of-hormuz-and-future-competition-and-battles-over-rare-minerals\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Strait of Hormuz and Future Competition and Battles Over Rare Minerals - 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