US Threatens Iranian Oil Infrastructure, Continuing Decades-Long Economic Warfare
Connect these dots: Former US President Donald Trump recently threatened military strikes against Iran's Kharg Island oil infrastructure, a move he linked to alleged Iranian interference with shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. This pronouncement, relayed by Reuters, came as markets already contend with significant supply chain volatility, yet framing it as a response to Iranian aggression obscures
a much longer and more aggressive pattern of US economic warfare against the Islamic Republic. Mainstream outlets like Reuters present this as a calculated response to immediate threats to global shipping, omitting the decades-long campaign to cripple Iran's economy. They frame Iran as the primary aggressor in maritime disputes while consistently downplaying the constant US military presence in
the Persian Gulf, a region thousands of miles from American shores. The narrative conveniently overlooks the fact that the US, under Trump, unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018, re-implementing and expanding sanctions designed to prevent Iran from selling its oil, thus denying it critical revenue regardless of any alleged shipping incidents. This
economic asphyxiation predates 2018, rooted in the 45 years of sanctions that followed the 1979 revolution. This current threat to strike Kharg Island, Iran's largest oil export terminal, echoes previous US-backed attempts to destabilize the nation. For instance, during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War, the US provided intelligence and material support to Saddam Hussein, even as his forces used chemical