U.S.-Iran Stand-Off Hints of Old "Tanker War"

U.S.-Iran Stand-Off Hints of Old “Tanker War”

STRAIT OF HORMUZ – NOVEMBER 19: In this handout photo provided by the US Navy, Master-At-Arms Seaman Khang Ho, right, and Seaman Shane Mitchell search for surface contacts during a Strait of Hormuz transit aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) on November 19 , 2019. Leyte Gulf is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean and Pacific through the Western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points. ) (Photo by achary Pearson- U.S. Navy via Getty Images)

Posted: July 5th, 2023

CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING – Less than a month ago, with global attention fixed on the Ukrainian offensive, U.S. Admiral James Stavridis (ret.) sought to open the security aperture a bit more by pointing to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and its seizure of a pair of huge oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz.

Billed as the world’s most important energy chokepoint, transiting one-third of total seaborne oil exports and a quarter of its liquefied natural gas, Stavridis said that to protect shipping in the strait, the U.S may be drawn back into a role it assumed during anti-shipping campaigns of the 1980s, known as the “Tanker War.” Back then, amidst ongoing conflict between Iraq and Iran, American ships escorted oil tankers through the Persian Gulf – a positioning that resulted in a one-day battle between Washington and Tehran.

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