This is a thread specifically for the war, not a general megathread (use the pinned /c/genzedong thread for that).
Please keep related news in this thread rather than making separate posts. Remember to include sources and avoid spreading rumours.
This is a thread specifically for the war, not a general megathread (use the pinned /c/genzedong thread for that).
Please keep related news in this thread rather than making separate posts. Remember to include sources and avoid spreading rumours.
Can someone answer what the actual…term for what the US is doing right now? Obviously interdiction vessels trading with Iran is a blockade, but vessels that are trading with Iran who pay a toll to Iran is…what exactly? Is it literally legally piracy? Is it something else? Did no one think that this was a possibility because this is imbecilic?
Edit: or is the US not actually doing that because when should we expect the checks notes commander in chief of the armed forces to be saying the same thing as the armed forces?
From what I understand the Iranian blockade took ship traffic from 180-200 ships a day to somewhere around 10. This will take it from 10 to 0. I don’t really see this being a massive disadvantage for Iran (not being rampant capitalists the money is nice but they’re pretty self sufficient and I imagine Russia and China will dip their hands in their pockets to help). It will keep up the international pressure on USA due to rising oil prices and loss in supply and lack of fertiliser shipments etc. so personally I’m not convinced this is a smart play in the slightest. Think it makes Trump look like a war mongering dumbass even more and doesn’t really alter Iran’s strategy or strengths.
I think we will have to wait and see what they actually do, it doesn’t seem like there is a coherent plan.
“It doesn’t seem like there’s a coherent plan” is the slogan of the Trump administration.
Iran is being invaded, and so ships going through their waters are free game / collateral damage.
The US is stopping ships out in open waters. Hence, piracy.
There’s a theory out there that the US is trying to move manufacturing to their country by stopping fossil fuels from being shipped to east Asia and Europe, making the continental US the only viable nation with reliable access to fossil fuels, being a net exporter.
So far, that theory doesn’t hold up to scrutiny.
Piracy can only be done by privately owned boats not state actors. There is no term for when a state starts stealing privately owned ships. (because its stupid)
What usa is doing is the crime of aggression which is forbidden by the UN charter. They are just saying they plan on committing aggression against privately owned ships of more nations. But since the UN charter is a dead letter there will be no legal repercussions.
I imagine that China and Russia will start escorting convoys. Then some american owned boat is gonna get taken by plausibly deniable pirates and we will likely end up in a world where all shipping will happen under guard.