In international law, Tehran has every right to close the strait of Hormuz to nations with which it is in armed conflict. Two vital points:
1) States who permit attacks on Iran to be launched from their territory can be blocked
2) Iran can block neutral ships from trading with states with which it is in conflict.
Plainly UK ships can be blocked under 1). But it is also undeniable that Gulf states have permitted attacks to be launched from their territory. A-10 Warthog attack jets have been routinely used against Iranian ships and were used in the extraordinary operation at the weekend involving special forces on the ground in Iran.
(If you believe that was a pilot rescue I have a bridge to sell you).
Multiple types of helicopter have also been used. The 5th fleet having run away well into the Indian ocean, these short-range aircraft can only be operating out of the Gulf states.
HIMARS short-range missiles were also used against Kharg Island – again this has to be from the Gulf states.
Iran has the right therefore to close the Strait of Hormuz to ships trading with those Gulf States that are hosting US forces attacking Iran. Which effectively means an almost complete closure of the straits.
The remaining legal obligation – from Article 34 of the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea – is to allow free passage to neutral vessels which are not trading with states with which Iran is in armed conflict. That is not likely to be a large number of vessels.
A week ago I participated in a discussion on Al Jazeera in which I was able to make some of these points. I also pointed out the hypocrisy of the Western powers’ sudden interest in freedom of navigation, when they have been supporting or ignoring illegal blockades of Gaza, Cuba and Venezuela, and illegal action against the misnamed “Russian shadow fleet”.
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Good to see you correct the host’s lie that ‘the gulf states are not belligerents at all’. It’s one that has been spread not just by al-Jazeera but throughout western media. He could not think of any alternative explanation for where those Himars and Warthogs had been fired from, so rapidly screeched away to a different subject. I wonder if this particular lie has been challenged on TV by anybody else, whether before or since.
Craig, what in fact was “the extraordinary operation at the weekend involving special forces on the ground in Iran” if not a pilot rescue?
Genuine question.
Thank you.
JK redux
It was a shambolic attempt to steal Iran’s uranium, and we all know how that ended, the pilot that was rescued was around 200km away from the site where multiple US military aircraft lay smouldering and in pieces.
Also the ceasefire won’t make it to Friday’s talks in Islamabad – the Zionists are continuing to bomb and kill in Lebanon – Iran says Lebanon must be included in the ceasefire – the Zionists and Trump say no – (Taco Tuesday Trump) – has also said that they’ll be an immediate 50% tariff applied to any nation (trading with the USA) if they sell weapons to Iran.