Iran Seizes Tanker in Hormuz: Media Forgets US Naval Aggression
CBS News dutifully reports Iran's confirmation of seizing a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. What's omitted from this urgent newsflash is the context of perpetual US naval presence and intervention in the region. One might recall, say, the USS Vincennes shooting down Iran Air Flight 655 in 1988, killing 290 civilians—an 'accident' the Reagan administration barely
bothered to apologize for, let alone compensate for adequately. That incident occurred over 35 years ago via a missile, not a boarding party, yet the 'freedom of navigation' chorus remains. This isn't to justify any seizure, but to highlight the selective outrage. For decades, the US has maintained aggressive military posturing in the Gulf, enforcing sanctions that cripple Iran's economy and
seizing Iranian oil tankers with impunity. Take the 'Achilleas' in 2021, a Greek-owned tanker whose Iranian oil cargo was seized by the US and sold off for $2 million. Or the 'Suezmax' in 2023, whose cargo was also confiscated. Yet, when Iran retaliates in kind, it's a fresh act of unprovoked aggression, divorced from any historical precedent of economic warfare or maritime bullying. One wonders
how many times the 'international waterways' rule applies only to certain flags.