Between 20 and 30 percent of the world’s crude oil transported by sea passes through this strait, as does one-fifth of global trade in liquefied natural gas (LNG). In addition to Iran, all the coastal nations—including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar—are heavily dependent on it for their energy exports, as well as for their imports, particularly food.
In the United States, 2026 began with violent operations by ICE (United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement), which led to the killing of two people in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As these abuses were filmed and have quickly gone viral, they sparked significant protests. Between a federal administration that embraces its suppressive approach by exploiting immigration issues and a political and civic opposition that strives to resist these authoritarian and violent practices, particularly on a local scale, these events reveal the deep rifts which divide the United States. What does ICE, an agency created as part of the controversial post-September 11, 2001 judicial reforms, symbolizes today? How has the agency evolved since Donald Trump came to power? How is civil resistance organizing in the face of these raids?