The Stalemate Of Blockading Blockades

Writes Moon of Alabama:

Following the unprovoked attack by USrael in late February, the Islamic Republic of Iran announced a (virtual) blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Traffic through the Strait decreased from some 130 ships per day to less than 5 per day.

The lack of oil, gas and fertilizer coming through the Strait is going to cause a global depression.

Six weeks after its attack on Iran had cause the problem the U.S. Central Command responded by blockading all ships going to and coming from ports of Iran:

More than 10,000 U.S. Sailors, Marines, and Airmen along with over a dozen warships and dozens of aircraft are executing the mission to blockade ships entering and departing Iranian ports. During the first 24 hours, no ships made it past the U.S. blockade and 6 merchant vessels complied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around to re-enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman.

The blockade is being enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. U.S. forces are supporting freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.

In response to the blockade of its own ports Iran announced to block all traffic from and to harbors in the wider Persian Gulf region.

Thus the situation is (again) at a stalemate. But the clock is ticking. Iran’s economy is battle hardened. It can sustain itself much longer throughout a blockade than the world can sustain the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the lack of commodities following from it, and the social uproars that will be caused by this.

Something – someone – will have to give in. It is unlikely (archived) that it will be Iran doing that.

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The Best of Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.