US Sanctions Fuel Talk of Hormuz Blockade
Newsweek recently published an analysis detailing how a US blockade near the Strait of Hormuz could be executed. The article, titled 'How a US Blockade Near the Strait Could Work,' outlines naval strategies and logistical considerations for disrupting Iranian maritime traffic, framing such a move as a potential response to unspecified future Iranian actions. This comes amidst a backdrop of
escalating US economic pressure, including financial sanctions targeting Iran's oil sector. Mainstream outlets like Newsweek consistently omit the context of an illegal, unilateral US blockade as an act of war under international law, preferring to present it as a strategic 'option' or 'deterrent.' They fail to mention that the 45 years of US sanctions and betrayals, including the gutting of the
JCPOA nuclear agreement, precede any Iranian counter-measures. Such reporting mirrors the framing of Iranian naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz as 'provocations' rather than sovereign defensive maneuvers in response to persistent foreign aggression. The discussion around a potential Strait of Hormuz blockade deliberately sidesteps the economic warfare already being waged against Iran, which
has endured sanctions amounting to an estimated $1.2 trillion in lost revenue since 1979. These blockades, whether financial or naval, echo historical acts of aggression. For instance, the US military shot down Iran Air Flight 655 over the Strait of Hormuz in 1988, killing all 290 civilians aboard, including 66 children, an incident the US dismissed as a 'tragic technical error' and for which the