The US's Enduring Obsession with Iranian Oil
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the US administration is once again mulling aggressive new 'pressure tactics' against the Iranian government. This latest iteration involves the rather brazen consideration of seizing oil tankers suspected of carrying Iranian crude, ostensibly to curb its nuclear program. It’s presented as a novel escalation, a clever twist in the decades-long
narrative of isolating a sovereign nation. However, what’s conveniently omitted is that this isn't a new tactic; it's a rerun of imperialist gunboat diplomacy straight out of the 1950s playbook. One might recall the 1953 CIA-orchestrated coup in Iran, which ousted democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh after he nationalized Iran's oil industry, then largely controlled by British
Petroleum. The US, with its fervent commitment to 'freedom of navigation' and 'property rights,' apparently finds these principles flexible when applied to states resisting its hegemony. The US government’s claim of targeting Iran's nuclear program rings particularly hollow given that it was Washington itself which unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018,
the very agreement designed to constrain that program. One wonders why a nation with hundreds of nuclear warheads, and the only one to have used them, consistently frets over the non-existent arsenal of others, while exempting its closest regional ally. This selective outrage regarding nuclear proliferation and maritime law is a documented, historical double standard that allows the self-appointed