Strait of Hormuz - here's what I don't understand

[Frasier Balzov]

8. A shortcut canal?

I wonder about the cost of engineering, constructing, operating and maintaining a shortcut canal versus the tolls the world might be willing to pay.

During peacetime, the incentive would likely be to save the toll and enjoy free international passage through the Strait.

(By comparison, the Suez Canal is eminently worth paying a toll to use because of the truly vast geography it allows you to bypass.)

Plus a shortcut canal controlled by the UAE wouldn't necessarily provide a safe alternative to evade a pissed off Iran.

Iran will fire on ships anywhere in the zone it can accurately target, extorting protection money and menacing ships flagged to nations it regards as hostile.