The High Seas of Hypocrisy
Before you scroll past the latest headlines, consider the Pentagon's declaration: US forces tracked, boarded, and seized an oil tanker in the Indian Ocean, claiming it violated Donald Trump’s now-defunct sanctions against Venezuela. This narrative paints a picture of vigilant enforcement, but conveniently glosses over the fundamental question of who appointed Washington the world's maritime
sheriff. This isn't an isolated incident; it's a well-worn playbook. Recall the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, when the US unilaterally imposed a naval blockade, or more recently, the 2019 seizure of the Iranian tanker Grace 1 off Gibraltar, illegally held until Iran responded in kind. The consistent through-line is Washington's assertion of jurisdiction far beyond its territorial waters, often under
the guise of enforcing 'international norms' that it frequently disobeys with impunity, such as invading Iraq in 2003 without UN Security Council authorization. The New York Times, for instance, amplified Judith Miller's fabricated intelligence then, much as corporate media now echoes the Pentagon's justification without deeper inquiry. We are told this vessel, reportedly linked to Iran's Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps, was targeted for evading sanctions. One might wonder why a nation—under the constant threat of military action and strangling sanctions for over 45 years following the 1979 revolution and the 1953 CIA coup against Mosaddegh—might seek alternative trade routes. The double standard is glaring: US allies frequently skirt sanctions, yet here, a sovereign vessel is