American B-1B bomber flies over Mideast amid Iran tensions

Context 

The US Air Force flew a B-1B strategic bomber over key maritime chokepoints in the Mideast with allies including Israel amid ongoing tensions with Iran as its nuclear deal with world powers remains in tatters.

Key-highlights

• The 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.
• The Strait of Hormuz has been the scene of attacks on shipping blamed on Iran in recent years, while the Red Sea has seen similar assaults amid an ongoing shadow war between Tehran and Israel.
• The Islamic Republic has denied being involved in the attacks, though it has promised to take revenge on Israel for a series of attacks targeting its nuclear program.

Strait of Homruz

• Shaped like an inverted V, the waterway connects the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean, with Iran to its north and the United Arab Emirates and Oman to the south.
• It’s almost 100 miles (161 kilometers) long and 21 miles wide at its narrowest point, with the shipping lanes in each direction just two miles wide.
• Its shallow depth makes ships vulnerable to mines, and the proximity to land — Iran, in particular — leaves large tankers open to attack from shore-based missiles or interception by patrol boats and helicopters.