Alwaght- The news of the US move to steal Iranian oil tanker in the Sea of Oman and the rapid and strong response of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) that thwarted the hostile American action made a world news hit.
According to a report by the Islamic of Iran News Network (IRINN), the cargo of the Iranian tanker was unloaded after being hijacked by US military ships to another tanker for transfer to an unknown destination. Upon learning of this incident, The IRGC Navy scrambled its forces and after a heliborne operation brought the stolen oil cargo back to the Iranian waters. The American forces moved to prevent the return of the ship to the Iranian waters, but their operation failed as they had to retreat following serious warnings from the Iranian forces.
But what is the goal of this apparent piracy of the US? What consequences does it have for the freedom of navigation in the regional waters? What are its political repercussions?
Pirates in uniform: Invalid claims of pro-security presence in the region
There is no doubt that the US military's seizure of Iranian oil tanker without any legitimate international excuse is a clear example of piracy and violation of international free shipping laws in international waters and maritime security.
It is noteworthy that this incident took place two days after Iranian warships thwarted another similar attack on the country's oil shipments in international waters, an attack that was attributed to pirates.
For decades, the US, with its definition of illegitimate, colonial, and bullying interests in the waters of the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and elsewhere in the world, has used the protection of maritime security and free trade as a pretext for its widespread military presence. However, White House officials have always used this military presence as a tool of pressure and intimidation against interests of such rivals as Iran. Washington has been trying for years to make up for its widespread drawbacks in various regional cases in West Asia by exerting economic pressure, particularly on oil exports, to cut off Tehran's source of income. In the Trump administration, along with the Israeli regime, attacks on Iranian tankers were on the agenda to counter growing Iranian power across the region. The Biden administration seems to be following the same agenda with the aim of force-stopping a regional-scale Tehran push to expel the American occupation forces from Iraq and Syria, two nations fallen victim to the American agenda that seeks to destroy regional states for Tel Aviv to remain an unchallenged actor in the region. The American expulsion is being completed especially after a scandalous exit from Afghanistan.
This US action, the repetition of which is not clear where will end, proves well that the US military presence in the regional waters is by no means secure and only brings about instability and tensions, with the regional nations being the end victims.
Iranian military might and the US defeats in Persian Gulf region
The piracy of the US military, along with its destabilizing presence in the region, bears witness to the credibility of Iran's agenda to build deterrence by developing its missile and drone programs as well as naval forces for the protection of national interests. Thanks to the military self-sufficiency and capabilities of the armed forces, including the army and the IRGC, Iran has now become an island of stability in largely turbulent West Asia and a major security force in the Persian Gulf under the wise guidance of its Leader and Commander-in-Chief Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei.
The IRGC forces have once again broken the hollow US hegemony on the world stage as Iran is celebrating the anniversary of the capture of the US embassy in Tehran 1979 and the National Day of Struggle against Global Arrogance.
The American political leaders and military commanders were taught a new lesson: Any military options against Iran are non-viable and any adventures against the Iranian interests will create events like before, including capture of the US Navy sailors in 2016 and downing of the Global Hawk drone in 2019, and also seizure of British oil tanker for violating Iranian rules in the Strait of Hormuz in the same year.
