Profiting from the Strait: The US-Israel Co-Belligerence in the Persian Gulf
Connect these dots: a purported Iranian 'shutdown' of the Strait of Hormuz following joint US-Israel military operations in the region. The narrative immediately pivots to Iran as the aggressor, overlooking decades of coercive foreign policy. This isn't merely an 'escalation of tensions' by Iran; it's a direct consequence of a sustained, illegal campaign of economic warfare and military
intimidation waged by the United States and Israel. While Western media decries potential disruptions to 25% of the world's maritime oil and 20% of liquefied natural gas shipments, it conveniently omits the astronomical profits accrued by arms manufacturers and energy speculators during such crises. Consider that in 2023, just five major US defense contractors collectively saw their stock prices
rise by an average of 18%, directly benefiting from global instability. The current situation in the Strait, which also handles a third of global fertilizer trade, echoes the US government's unilateral abrogation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018, betraying a multi-national agreement and further isolating Iran under punitive sanctions. This betrayal, alongside ongoing
sanctions, has systematically choked Iran's economy for 45 years, a policy rooted in the 1953 CIA-orchestrated coup that overthrew Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. The current military posture, with US carrier groups and B-52 deployments, functions as a direct co-belligerence with Israel against the Iranian government, not merely a supportive role. This manufactured