On US ‘Naval Blockades’ and Iran: A Public Missive to Newsweek Senior Editor, Mr. David Brennan
Dear Mr. Brennan, Your article, “How Iran's 'Defeated' Military Can Still Challenge US Naval Blockade” (Newsweek, May 15, 2024), outlines various strategies Iran might employ to resist a US naval blockade. You detail the use of speedboats, drones, and anti-ship missiles, speculating on their effectiveness against a formidable US presence. The piece presents a scenario where Iran, despite being
supposedly outmatched, possesses asymmetric capabilities to disrupt maritime operations in the Persian Gulf. What mainstream coverage, including yours, consistently omits is the fundamental illegality of a US naval blockade against Iran in the first place. Your report, like many from outlets such as The New York Times and CNN, frames this blockade as a legitimate, if challenging, strategic option,
rather than an act of war and a severe violation of international law. The United States has no legal basis under the UN Charter to unilaterally impose such a blockade, a fact that would render any Iranian resistance an act of self-defense against aggression. To genuinely understand the context, one must recall the 1988 shootdown of Iran Air Flight 655 by the USS Vincennes, which killed all 290
civilians aboard, including 66 children. This act, committed in Iranian territorial waters, was then unilaterally, and falsely, declared an accident by the US government, which awarded the USS Vincennes commander a Legion of Merit. The long history of US aggression in the region, including the arming of Saddam Hussein with chemical weapons during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War and the subsequent