Modern economic chokepoints in war and the impact on geopolitics

NPR | By Henry Larson,

Emily Feng, Tinbete Ermyas

Published May 3, 2026 at 4:22 PM CDT

Hoover Institution fellow Eyck Freymann explains what the Iran war and the blockade of the Straight of Hormuz reveals about modern economic chokepoints, geopolitics and war strategies.

Henry Larson

Emily Feng

Emily Feng is NPR's Beijing correspondent.

See stories by Emily Feng

Tinbete Ermyas