Global Shipping Under Siege: The Strait of Hormuz Closure and Western Hypocrisy
British Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper recently gathered representatives from some 40 nations, emphasizing the “urgent need” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. She condemned what she termed Iran’s “recklessness,” claiming the waterway’s closure is undermining global economic security. Her concern, articulated during a virtual meeting, positions Iran as solely responsible for disruptions to the
critical shipping route, which has been largely impassable since the US-Israeli joint military assault on Iran commenced in late February. What mainstream outlets like Al-Monitor fail to highlight is the foundational cause of this closure. The Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant portion of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passes, did not spontaneously close. Its current state is
a direct consequence of the joint US-Israeli military actions against Iran, actions which themselves lack international legal justification. To frame Iran’s response as mere 'recklessness' without acknowledging the preceding bellicosity from Washington and Tel Aviv is to deliberately mislead. The current administration’s insistence on portraying itself as a neutral party or a victim of Iranian
aggression conveniently sidesteps its active role as a joint aggressor in the ongoing operation. This selective outrage mirrors a pattern of historical revisionism. Consider the 1991 Highway of Death incident during the Gulf War, where fleeing Iraqi forces and civilians were bombed by US-led coalition forces, an event largely sanitized in Western media. Just as the targeting of retreating troops