Strait of Hormuz Under Threat: Pakistan's Naval Strategy to Safeguard Its Maritime Trade Routes During the US-Iran Conflict
Summary
Following joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran beginning February 28, 2026, which included the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Iran's IRGC retaliated with missile and drone attacks and threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, prompting Pakistan to launch Operation Muhafiz-ul-Bahr on March 9, 2026. The Pakistan Navy initiated this escort mission in coordination with the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation to protect Pakistani merchant vessels navigating the disrupted strait, upon which approximately 90% of Pakistan's trade depends. Critically, Pakistan has defined this as a maritime security operation rather than a combat mission, as the country remains a non-belligerent in the US-Iran conflict, focusing solely on protecting its own commercial shipping interests. The Pakistan Navy's recently modernized surface fleet, particularly the four Tughril-class (Type 054A/P) frigates commissioned between 2022 and 2023, proves especially well-suited for this mission, offering multi-layered air and surface defense capabilities including CM-302 anti-ship missiles, a 32-cell VLS for surface-to-air missiles, and close-in weapon systems. The operation highlights how Pakistan's decade-long naval modernization strategy was deliberately designed to address precisely these kinds of scenarios, where regional conflicts not directly involving Pakistan nonetheless threaten its vital maritime economic lifelines.
Key Takeaways
- 1. Pakistan has strategically positioned itself as a neutral but militarily capable actor, conducting defensive escort operations without joining either side of the US-Iran conflict, demonstrating sophisticated crisis management
- 2. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz represents an existential economic threat to Pakistan, given that 90% of its trade and critical energy imports including oil and LNG transit through or near the strait
- 3. The Tughril-class frigates' layered air defense capabilities, particularly their SAM and CIWS systems, are directly relevant to countering the Iranian drone and missile threat environment currently affecting commercial shipping in the region
- 4. Pakistan's naval modernization program, centered on Chinese-built Type 054A/P frigates and Yarmook-class OPVs, has proven strategically prescient by providing credible escort and deterrence capabilities without requiring offensive warfighting posture
- 5. The withdrawal of commercial insurance coverage for strait transits underscores the severity of the crisis and elevates the strategic importance of state-provided naval protection for merchant fleets operating in the region