World War III: How the Iranian conflict could mimic the 1984 tanker war | World | New



[ad_1]

The Strait of Hormuz, crossed by a fifth of the world's oil, is of great importance for all the great nations. It has also become the center of the conflict since May, when Iran is accused of sinking four oil tankers and seizing a British ship in the region. This is not the first time, however, that the Strait is involved in a similar war – last week's events evoking memories of the so-called "tank war" in the eighties.

At the height of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, Tehran was able to use its local advantage to disrupt the flow of oil across the Strait of Hormuz.

After Iranian mines damaged ships in the region, oil prices threatened to rise, and shipping companies feared to lock them out.

This meant that US Navy ships had to escort Kuwaiti tankers to the area to protect them.

Forty years later, the US military is protecting cargo ships in the Strait, while British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has called for the creation of a joint European naval task force to oversee the Gulf .

The tanker war officially began in 1984, when US-backed Iraq attacked Kharg Island, a major tanker loading terminal for Iran.

Iraqi air forces also bombed Iranian ships in the Persian Gulf, which exported 2.6 billion barrels of oil a day.

Tehran responded by targeting Iraqi ships and shot down 168 ships while losing 280.

After the start of US oversight, the direct attacks stopped – but that meant that Iran began using deadly mines in 1987.

Just like the attacks of May and June – that the United States blames Iran, even if they have little evidence – the mines were used to bring down unsuspecting ships.

The psychological impact of the mines means that Iran still uses them today, according to Dave DesRoches, defense expert.

He said: "Iran's strategy at sea is based in particular on the disruption.

"They know they can not dominate. They must disrupt.

Washington officials fear that if tensions continue to escalate between Iran and the western world, the Strait of Ormuz could be stuck in the same way.

In 1988, the Praying Mantis operation represented a brief but brutal conflict between the United States and Iran after a mine had struck an American ship.

Months later, a US warship shot down an airliner, killing the 290 Iranian civilians on board.

Experts such as Dr. Paul Stott have suggested that any future conflict might look like the one day battle of 1988.

He told Express.co.uk: "The precedent here is the one day war of 1988, when the United States and Iran had a naval conflict for a single day.

"You could have a repeat of that now.

"The United States, after quickly sinking ships, clearly showed their teeth and the Iranians retreated quickly."

This time, an attack by US President Donald Trump could be supported by Britain, now led by the ally of President Boris Johnson.

Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif yesterday attempted to calm tensions with the new prime minister by encouraging diplomacy between Tehran and Westminster, while baderting that Iran was ready to defend itself.

"I congratulate my former counterpart, Boris Johnson, on having become British Prime Minister.

"Iran is not looking for confrontation, but we have 1500 miles of coastline in the Persian Gulf. These are our waters and we are going to protect them. "

[ad_2]
Source link