The British government has announced that, with concerns about the safety of their commercial vessels, the Royal Naval will send a warship to accompany every single UK-flagged ship through the Strait of Hormuz.
Last week, a British-flagged oil tanker was seized by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, in retaliation for Britain seizing an Iranian tanker near Gibraltar. Britain has raised concerns that this means more ships might be at risk.
Britain has been courting other nations to join an EU-led maritime force in the area to protect more ships. Germany has agreed they want to be involved, and a few other EU nations have expressed some interest in the matter.
It is noteworthy that Britain has started escorting unilaterally, since the Royal Navy had very recently claimed they lacked the resources to escort all of the UK-flagged ships.
Well then, they will be recorded as the escalators of the tensions.
No, i think that crown belongs squarely on Bolton’s head.
They’re obeying Washington as usual, pursuant to the goal of eventually getting a blockade of Iran in place. This is how the US and EU intend to get the war started apparently.
So, Washington drums up tensions because Iran is pure unadulterated evil (still not as EVIL as HRC tho amirite, GOPers?) and other nations now need to waste resources on guarding ships because Iran is sick of being bullied and pushed around. Not that the UK is blameless, but without Bolton where he is today, i don’t see this entire scenario unfolding like this, or even getting started in the first place.
When the bombs start dropping the fact that the UK instigated this whole need for an escort will be long forgotten.
The current tensions didn’t start de novo because the UK seized a tanker.
I didn’t mean to imply that. This will just be another on the long list of things that were forgotten once the shooting starts. We are solely responsible for the entire mess.