Originally Posted by
gums
Salute!
Somehow, I have not been able to find the "international" maritime law/agreement/treaty specifying Iran as the nation responsible for ensuring safe passge thru the "international" sealanes of Hormuz.
Further, if we find that piece of paper, does it allow iran to distribute mines willy-nilly if they are involved in military action with states NOT signing said agreement/treaty/ whatever.
Gums asks.....
To be perfectly honest with you
gums I find it quite incredible that both the US and Israel were so naive in thinking that the Iranians would not lay claim to the Strait of Homuz and, effectively, weaponise it...in every sense of the word.
They could.....potentially...if pushed hard enough..lay claim to the entire Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman. Reason being they have a biggest share of that entire coastline...from Abadan Island that borders Iraq right through to half of the Gowader Bay that borders Pakistan and they have already claimed most of the islands already both within the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.
Now that might sound far fetched for them to claim the entire waterway as their own, but when you think of it, that waterway would be the perfect way to hold the entire world to ransom....just as they have with the relatively tiny slither, Strait of Hormuz. Who could or would stop them if they tried to claim the entire waterway as their own?
No-one stopped them taking the Strait of Hormuz cos no-one in either of the attacking administrations seemed to plan for it or feel that it would happen. Let us not forget the Houthi down at the Bab-el-Mandab Strait...one word, one order from Iran and the Houthi will shut that down too, they have already told the world that they will do that if ordered by their "masters", Iran.
Then you have the various Iran backed factions that live and breathe withing the Gulf States...those in Iraq have already been flexing their drone launching muscles this last weekend...that was a warning. A warning that the Gulf States understood and which led to their leaders telling the US not to attack Iran again and to let diplomacy have a chance to succeed. I suspect the Gulf States have already figured that if Iran is attacked and is pushed hard enough the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman would be in as much danger of being claimed as Iranian as the Strait of Hormuz was back on February 28, 2026.
As I said, this proverbial nightmare scenario could be seen as far fetched but can we really take that chance and find out? The Iranian ability to take whatever they want has been underestimated already......it is why any form of attack on Iran has always been placed firmly onto the back burner cos no-one really knows what they are capable of. The Strait of Hormuz "ownership" is maybe just a mere taster. I am a mere layperson but I would not put it past them iof they were pushed hard enough.