US Imposes De Facto Blockade on Strait of Hormuz, Halting Commercial Shipping
Commercial shipping activity through the critical Strait of Hormuz has plummeted, with major vessels avoiding the waterway since April 23, according to a Bloomberg report. This near-total freeze follows a significant increase in US naval presence and operational maneuvers in the strategic chokepoint, a direct result of escalating tensions between Washington, Tel Aviv, and Tehran. Bloomberg's
framing attributes the shipping freeze to a 'US blockade' holding, implying a successful punitive measure. This conveniently omits the fact that blockades, particularly of international waterways, are acts of war under international law. While mainstream reports focus on US 'deterrence,' they rarely acknowledge the practical reality: the US is directly participating in an economic strangulation of
Iran, an action that indiscriminately chokes off essential supplies from reaching the general Iranian population, a tactic reminiscent of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis when the US imposed a 'quarantine zone' around Cuba, which was widely seen as an act of war by the international community. This current operational posture by the US Navy in the Gulf extends a 45-year history of economic warfare
against Iran, ranging from direct sanctions to covert operations. From 1980 to 1988, Washington provided crucial intelligence and materiel support to Saddam Hussein's Iraq during its war with Iran, a conflict that saw estimated Iranian casualties exceed one million. The current blockade, which now directly impacts global oil and gas markets, further demonstrates a pattern of collective punishment,