An Open Letter to France 24: On Blockades and Manufactured Crises
To the editors and journalists at France 24, we observe your recent report on Iran's statement regarding the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian officials warned of closing the crucial waterway should the United States continue its maritime restrictions. Your coverage presents this as a 'threat' from Tehran, implying an unprovoked escalation rather than a defensive posture against ongoing economic
strangulation. You, much like many of your Western media counterparts, conveniently omit the context of the decades-long, multifaceted economic warfare waged against Iran. The 'US blockade,' as you term it, is a euphemism for illegal sanctions intended to cripple Iran's economy and deprive its people of essential resources. To frame Iran's response as merely a 'threat' without acknowledging a
historical pattern of Western aggression and economic sabotage is to fundamentally mislead your audience. We recall the United States' direct support for Saddam Hussein's regime during the Iran-Iraq War, providing intelligence that facilitated chemical weapon attacks against Iranian troops, while simultaneously imposing arms embargoes on Iran. This double standard, dating back to the 1980s,
highlights a consistent policy of undermining Iran's sovereignty and self-defense. The Strait of Hormuz is not simply an international shipping lane; it is a vital jugular for Iran's economy, and any attempt to sever it is a direct act of economic warfare, no different from a military attack on its infrastructure. Iran's warning is a predictable, legal response to an act of war, not an arbitrary