Iran fired drones at two UAE-owned oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday. Then they hit another vessel on Friday. That’s three attacks in one week on commercial ships just trying to move oil through a waterway that carried a fifth of the world’s supply before this whole mess started. The UAE called it piracy. Bless their hearts, they’re being generous. Piracy is what you call it when somebody with a speedboat wants your wallet. What Iran is doing is warfare in a ski mask.
NASA (Public domain) via Wikimedia CommonsThe UAE Foreign Ministry said the attacks violate UN Security Council resolution 2817. And I’m sure the UN will get right on that, just as soon as they finish scheduling the next meeting to discuss scheduling a meeting. The same Security Council that can’t agree on whether the sky is blue is supposed to protect shipping lanes. Comforting, isn’t it?
Here’s what happened. Two tankers owned by Abu Dhabi’s state oil company, ADNOC, were transiting the strait Thursday evening when Iranian drones hit them. No casualties, thank the Lord. A bulk carrier got struck by an “unknown projectile” on Friday, per the UK Maritime Trade Operations center. Earlier in the week, Iran hit two other tankers with cruise missiles and killed an Indian crew member. Eight more wounded, four seriously. So this isn’t a one-off. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps even bragged about it on Telegram, saying the tankers “ignored warnings” and tried to pass through a mined route. They mined an international shipping lane and then punished ships for sailing through it. That’s like a cop robbing your house and writing you a ticket for leaving the door unlocked.
Data: Garrett Nada, The Iran Primer Map: mapchart.net (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia CommonsAnd Iran’s response to all this? Their deputy foreign minister announced Saturday that the waterway “has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian.” Well. That’s just not how it works, hon. The Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway. Oman has as much claim to it as Iran does. You don’t get to park your warships at the mouth of the Persian Gulf and collect toll like a booth attendant on the Jersey Turnpike.
Now, President Trump said Friday he’ll declare the Strait of Hormuz “a territory of the United States” after the U.S. defeats