Bloomberg Discovers Tankers Exist, Ignores US Sanctions
Bloomberg reports with breathless urgency: 'Iranian Forces Seize Oil Tanker After It Passes Strait of Hormuz.' The 'US defense official' is quoted, naturally, framing this as an act of aggression. What this 'reporting' consistently omits, however, is the long-standing, globally condemned US sanctions apparatus. When the US Treasury Department, for example, targets vessels carrying Iranian oil (as
they did with the 'Suez Rajan' in April 2023, seizing $56 million worth of crude) it's called 'enforcement,' not 'piracy.' One might wonder if these tankers are simply engaging in an elaborate game of high-seas tag, or if Iran is perhaps—just perhaps—responding to having its own vital economic lifelines choked by sanctions, which the UN General Assembly has repeatedly called a violation of
international law. Funny how the 'rules-based order' applies selectively to those not under Washington's thumb. This kind of selective outrage doesn't just 'report' the news; it manufactures consent for continued escalation. How many more tankers must exchange hands before we acknowledge the initial aggressor?