Aqil Haziq Mahmud
KUALA LUMPUR: The United States' sinking of a "prize" Iran warship off the coast of Sri Lanka suggests tankers carrying sanctioned Iranian oil that sail through busy Southeast Asian waters may not be safe either, analysts say.
While Iranian warships do not make frequent visits to the region, actors looking to disrupt Iran's income sources could target and destroy this "shadow fleet" of tankers instead, potentially creating environmental disasters and tension with coastal states in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the experts add.
For instance, the US could target commercial tankers in a military operation if Washington declares they are not being used for commercial purposes but are believed to be serving Iran’s military aims instead.
No comments:
Post a Comment