Aaron MacLean
Donald Trump’s blockade of Iran, announced after the breakdown of ceasefire negotiations in Pakistan last weekend, has begun, and early reports suggest it is working. But its strategic goal is to bring Iran to a more serious diplomatic position—and success there remains a long shot.
Despite some confusing rhetoric over the weekend, the United States has not actually blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, as such, in really any sense at all. The source of the confusion was the president himself, who announced on Sunday that the “United States Navy . . . will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz.” This announcement didn’t make a great deal of sense. First of all, Iran was already engaged in a de facto blockade of the strait, and had been choking traffic through it to a minimum since early March. Each day it allowed through a handful of ships that were carrying Iranian cargo or, it seems, paying a toll to Iran.
No comments:
Post a Comment