On a rampage in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, Iran’s celebrated the era of 60-year-old President Ebrahim Raisi with a bang, attacking an Israeli oil tanker Aug 1, then following it up today with a possible hijacking. President Joe Biden, 80, dithers on what to do with Iran, still trying to jump back in the old Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA] AKA “Iranian Nuke Deal” despite all indications that reinstating the deal is dead in the water. Now that an Israeli tanker was hit by an Iranian predator drone killing two salors, one Romanian and one British, Biden must shift gears to help preserve U.S. national security in the Persian Gulf. Word of a new hijacking in the Gulf of Oman today forces Biden to pivot on Iran, no longer in the placating mood, trying to reprise the JCPOA at a time of increased tension. Former President Donald Trump cancelled the JCPOA May 8, 2018 due to Iran’s proxy war against Saudi Arabia.
Iran’s new aggressive Gulf policy threatens international shipping, creating instability in world oil markets. With oil surging past $70 a barrel, world oil markets don’t need Iran mucking things up in the Persian Gulf. Unlike Trump, Biden seems less willing to act unilaterally to protect U.S. national security. Today’s possible oil tanker hijacking is a provocative attack on the status quo when it comes to the oil shipping business, carrying 20% of the world crude oil through the Persian Gulf. Iran has been known to attack oil freighters in the Gulf with limpet mines but also hijacks tankers like the Korean ship Jan. 4, for allegedly polluting the Gulf. “An incident is currently underway,” said the United Kingdom’s Maritime Trade Operations off the United Arab Emirates [UAE] port of Fujairah. Saying it was a “potential hijack,” the U.K. had no further details to report.
Biden has a big problem with Iran because for the first seven months of his administration, he’s played footsy in Geneva, trying to cobble back the old Iranian Nuke Deal. But as Trump found out, the stakes are very high with Iran attacking international shipping in the strategic waterway. Israel’s 49-year-old Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Israel will deal with Iran at a time of its choosing. Biden hopes to coordinate a response with the U.K but meanwhile let’s Iran get away with murder in the Gulf. U.S. 5th Fleet and British Defense Ministry indicated that six tankers announced on their Automatic Identification System that tankers “were not under command,” meaning that they were rudderless, unable to sail. “At the same time, if they are in the same vicinity and in the same place, then very rarely that happens,” said Ranjith Raja, an oil shipping expert and data analyst with Refinitv.
There’s not much room left to allow Iran to run amok in the Persian Gulf with too much international shipping at stake. “Not all the vessels would lose their engines or their capacity to steer at the same time,” said Raja, doubting reports of disabled oil tankers. Iran’s Foreign Minister Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh denied that Iran was involved in any attacks in the Gulf. U.S., U.K., and Israeli intelligence indicates that Iran was the probable source of aggressive activity. Iran called the Gulf incidents “completely suspicious,” denying that predator drone strikes on the Israeli freighter were from Iran’s military. “Iran’s naval forces are ready for help and rescue in the region,” trying to blow smoke that they’re not involved with the unprovoked attacks in the Persian Guld and Gulf of Oman. State Department Spokesman Ned Price said he didn’t know about today’s alleged hijacking.
Price was very concerned about and escalation with Iran in the Persian Gulf, now, for all intents and purposes, it scuttles Geneva talks to re-start the Iranian Nuke Deal. “We have seen a very disturbing pattern of belligerence from Iran, including belligerence in the maritime domain,” Price said. UAE officials have reported numerous attacks on tankers attributed to Iran in recent years, especially around its port of Fjarirah. Trump responded decisively to Iran malign behavior in the Gulf, hitting Iran’s Al-Quds leader Qassem Soleimani Jan. 3 2020 with a predator drone attack near the Baghdad International Airport. When Soleimani went down, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei promised retaliation with multiple incidents in the last 18 months. British navy watched Iran seize the British-flagged Sienna Impero in the Strait of Hormuz in 2019, retalilating for the seizing an Iranian tanker transporting illegal oil near Gibraltar.
Biden and his 58-eyar-old Secretary of State Antony Blinken have some big decisions to make when it comes to Iran. No matter how much the White House wants to placate Tehran, no one can tolerate Iran’s lawless behavior in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. Like Trump, Biden must act decisively against Iran’s unbridled aggression, serving notice to Tehran that the U.S. won’t tolerate brazen aggression in international waterways. As Raisi takes over for President Hasan Rouhan, the landscape has changed, with Iran showing much more aggression toward its neighbors. No one but the U.S. is capable of confronting Iran for its lawless behavior, leaving the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman an unsafe waterway. Biden can’t end Iranian sanctions because the Persian Nation has been on a rampage. Trying to get collective action against Tehra, ties the U.S. hands when it comes to fashioning an effective strategy to deter Iran from more aggression in the Gulf.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charismas.
