Since 2019, Israel has attacked ships, particularly those it believes belong to Iran, at an alarming rate. At least a dozen oil tankers headed to Syria have been hit, and the US is believed to have endorsed the process.
These attacks were so common they went largely unnoticed. They are increasingly becoming a military, economic, and environmental concern, centered around hits against two recent boats.
The first ship was the supertanker Emerald, owned by Libya, flagged by Panama. This was one of those many oil tankers that Israel reckons was going from Iran to Syria. We might never have heard of it, either, except that after the attack the oil spilled all over the Israeli coast.
Israeli officials are not admitting that they attacked the tanker, but they’re also saying the oil spill wasn’t their fault. For now, who attacked it is just speculation, though Israel is a prime suspect. Israeli officials, however, they’re looking to blame Syria, whose ship it was in the first place.
This would’ve been more ambiguous except that over the past week Israel attacked the cargo ship Shahr-e Kord, an Iranian ship. Iran says they have the absolute right to respond militarily to this, and will decide how to protect their rights.
This comes just weeks after an explosion on an Israeli ship, which Israel blamed on Iran, and seems like retaliation. Iran denied involvement, however, and now seems to be seeking retaliation of its own.
All of this suggests maritime tensions are on the rise, and more tit-for-tat attacks may be likely. While Israel had the Trump Administration’s permission to do as it wants, it’s not so clear Biden will give them carte blanche, even if it is Israel’s inclination to keep the strikes up.
This is how we are getting war on Iran. Just do it, without announcement. The compliant US press does not report it. The compliant US government turns a blind eye in DC but helps in the region.
Aggressive war is still a war crime, an original Nazi war crime as prosecuted at Nuremberg.
That is the crazy mind trick going on enabled by the end of news: certain countries automatically have the assumption of a good excuse, they’re the good guys no matter what they do. Israel thus can’t engage in aggression and doesn’t do war, even when routinely blowing up those they call enemies. Yet on Iran, plenty of PR experts can be found to speculate on how whatever they may have done could be nefarious. Producing news is costly and unappreciated, pretending partisans are conjuring news out of their opinions is prepaid and gets ratings.
“While Israel had the Trump Administration’s permission to do as it wants, it’s not so clear Biden will give them carte blanche, even if it is Israel’s inclination to keep the strikes up.”
When the Biden administration has already stated that Israel will NEVER be cut off, I can’t imagine Israel being overly concerned.
Yes, they “have the right.”
That does not make it the best idea for Iran.
In the days of Caribbean piracy, war “beyond the line” did not come back to Europe, mostly, because it was not in their interests to bring it back. Of course, Jenkin’s Ear was enough for war when they wanted war. That is the example for Iran.
War beyond the line was fought out there by both sides. But that was done very carefully, deniably. Nothing much has changed in 400 years. And yes, I do mean that the Israelis are pirates.