The war in West Asia has largely centred around one key geographical lever — the Strait of Hormuz . Iran responded to the US-Israeli attack on February 28 by effectively closing the maritime passageway that accounts for a fifth of the world’s energy flows during peacetime. US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, set up his own naval blockade near the region to maintain pressure against Iran amid a fragile ceasefire. But the narrow strait has a centuries-long history of being entangled at the centre of competing imperial interests owing to its strategic location.Among the most influential forces in this region were, unsurprisingly, the British who combined naval might with diplomacy to exert control over the region’s trade in the 18th and 19th centuries. Here’s a look at how various colonial powers have taken control of trade through the strait through the years.…