Why in news?
- Israel was behind a cyber-attack on 9 May that disrupted operations at a major port in Iran.
- The attack on the computer systems at the Shahid Rajaee port in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz was limited in scope, creating traffic jams of delivery trucks and some delays in shipments but causing no substantial or lasting damage.
- Israel and Iran have recently been engaged in an exchange of attempted and successful cyber-attacks.
Strait of Hormuz
- Strait of Hormuz is the waterway separates Iran and Oman, linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
- The Strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction.
- Most crude exported from Saudi Arabia, Iran, the UAE, Kuwait and Iraq – all members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) – is shipped through this waterway.
- It is also the route used for nearly all the liquefied natural gas (LNG) produced by the world’s biggest LNG exporter, Qatar.
- Strait of Hormuz marks the most sensitive transportation choke point for global oil supplies.
-Source: The Hindu from NY Times
