Read our editorials on the US-Israeli war on Iran here and here.
Iran resumed its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after US imperialism renewed attacks against Iran and announced the resumption of its naval blockade on July 13.
This is the US’s second attempt to impose a blockade on Iran since beginning its war of aggression on February 28. According to Trump, the new US blockade will be in effect for ships “coming to and from Iranian ports, or carrying anything having to do with Iranian cargo.” Despite the US’s efforts, Iran has bypassed the US’s blockade, using prepared networks to carry out uninterrupted oil exports, according to Iran’s Oil Ministry.
Trump said that the US would impose a 20% transit fee on cargo in the Strait of Hormuz but backpedaled the next day, claiming that the US would replace transit fees with “Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States.”
The previous US naval blockade was in effect from April to June and failed to achieve its objectives after the US and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in June and established a ceasefire. The MOU acknowledged Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz, with commercial transit resuming through the Strait under Iranian management.
The US began undermining the MOU during Khamenei’s funeral procession by encouraging commercial vessels to violate Iranian navigation procedures for the Strait of Hormuz. When Iran issued warning strikes against vessels that did not follow the correct routes, the US broke the terms of the MOU and resumed striking Iranian targets.
Iran continues to inflict pain on the US for breaking the MOU with effective missile and drone strikes on US military installations across the region. Demonstrating its control of the Strait in deeds, Iran is again strangling oil and natural gas shipments. According to a report by Reuters, only four tankers crossed the strait on July 19, down from eight tankers on the previous day. No liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers have been visible passing through the Strait since July 16, and the inventory of LNG aboard tankers inside the Gulf is building.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that no ships will be allowed to transit the Strait while US attacks continue. While the US continues to encourage ships to evade Iranian control, two vessels have already been sunk after entering a mined area of the corridor. The IRGC has warned that “shipowners, like the leaders of some southern Persian Gulf states, should not be deceived by the baseless support of the terrorist American army and should heed the warnings and announcements of the IRGC Navy.”
Image: Screenshot from footage of an Iranian missile launch. Credit: Press TV.
The Worker is an entirely volunteer-run revolutionary newspaper free from and radically antagonistic to corporate influence. We rely on the support of our readers to sustain our editorial line in service of the working class and the reconstitution of its party, the Communist Party. Make a one-time or recurring donation to our newspaper today:
Make a one-time donation
Make a monthly donation
Make a yearly donation
Choose an amount
Or enter a custom amount
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
