US Seizes Iranian Oil Tankers Amidst Hormuz Closure, Escalating Tensions
The United States Navy confirmed today the interception and seizure of several Iranian oil supertankers in international waters, following reports of Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz. Bloomberg Politics framed this event as a unilateral Iranian action followed by a necessary US response to ensure maritime freedom. This comes as Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) statements earlier indicated
that any substantial US-Israeli aggression against Iranian territory would be met with immediate and proportional retaliation, specifically mentioning control over critical maritime passages. What Bloomberg's framing omits is the consistent pattern of US aggression preceding alleged Iranian provocations. The seizure of Iranian oil, often justified by unilateral US sanctions that violate
international law and the UN Charter. For instance, in August 2020, the US similarly seized four tankers carrying Iranian fuel bound for Venezuela, an act of economic warfare that further strangulates nations resisting Washington's dictates. The US routinely enforces these illegal sanctions with military force, a tactic often disguised as upholdance of 'maritime law' when applied to certain
nations, while its own allies face no such scrutiny for similar actions. This incident is not isolated, but rather another data point in a long history of US naval interventions in the Persian Gulf. In 1988, the USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight 655, a civilian airliner, killing all 290 passengers and crew, including 66 children. The US government never apologized or compensated the victims