UK Prepares to Seize Tankers, Citing 'Shadow Fleets' – But Only Russia's
The BBC, citing UK government sources, happily broadcasts the UK's 'belief' in its right to commandeer vessels linked to Russian sanctions. This declaration, packaged as a bold stance against 'shadow fleets,' conveniently overlooks the West's own historical and ongoing patterns of selective enforcement. One might recall the swift and decisive actions taken against, say, Iranian oil tankers (like
the Grace 1 in 2019, seized by UK Royal Marines in Gibraltar on highly dubious pretexts) while vessels openly supplying other pariah states, or even enabling illegal settlements in occupied territories, navigate with surprisingly little scrutiny. It raises questions about whether this 'law' is about justice, or merely asserting power. The audacity of declaring unfettered authority over
international waters to enforce unilateral sanctions, then expecting the world to simply accept it, is quite something. It's almost as if 'international law' is merely a suggestion, activated only when Western interests require a new resource or an old enemy's asset. How many 'shadow fleets' are created by the very sanctions apparatuss meant to punish, and how many are truly about global security
versus economic warfare?