The Maritime Scramble: Control Transcends Borders, Law is Secondary
FIRST INSTANCE: The First Cod War and Extraterritorial Claims (1958) The precedent for asserting jurisdiction over maritime activities beyond traditional territorial waters found early expression during the 'Cod Wars.' While largely focused on fishing rights, the core dispute involved Iceland's unilateral extension of its fisheries limit from 4 to 12 nautical miles in 1958, leading to
confrontations with British trawlers and naval vessels (BBC News, 2007). This marked an early contestation over resource control and the boundaries of national sovereignty at sea, demonstrating that economic interests could drive naval actions and legal redefinitions of maritime space. REPETITIONS: The Iran-Iraq War and the 'Tanker War' (1984-1988) Fast forward to the 1980s, the so-called 'Tanker
War' during the Iran-Iraq conflict provides another critical example. Both Iran and Iraq targeted commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf, aiming to cripple each other's oil exports. In response, the United States launched Operation Earnest Will in 1987, reflagging Kuwaiti tankers with U.S. flags and providing naval escorts (Dahl, 1990). This intervention, justified as protecting freedom of
navigation, was a direct projection of power aimed at securing strategic energy flows and limiting the influence of a challenging regional actor (Iran). The scale of naval intervention drastically expanded, asserting a right to protect commercial interests against belligerents, even when not directly attacking U.S. flagged vessels initially. REPETITIONS: Sanctions Enforcement in the Persian Gulf