This morning, two tankers from the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) successfully navigated the Strait of Hormuz. However, the access to the sea lanes in the Persian Gulf, Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman remains unstable, as Iranian authorities continue to prohibit the escorting of crude oil tankers by warships.
Despite the fact that SCI tankers, Pushpak and Piramal, successfully navigated the Strait of Hormuz without an escort from last night to this morning, three other tankers were hit by Iranian missiles and suffered damage.
A shipping expert stated that the situation in the Persian Gulf is extremely chaotic, with Iranians expressing differing opinions. Escorts are being denied access, and tankers are taking risks.
The Thai ship Mayuree Naree, en route to Kandla, sustained damage to its hull while navigating through the Strait of Hormuz.
The movement of two Indian ships and the targeting of others clearly indicates that the Iranian leadership is collaborating with Tehran to use the Strait of Hormuz as a strategic point to instigate a global energy crisis, aiming to pressure the US and Israel into retreating from conflict. Additionally, Iran is also focusing on Sunni Gulf nations to broaden the scope of the conflict and penalize them for permitting the US to set up bases on their territory. Iran's actions in the Strait of Hormuz violate the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), specifically articles 37-45, and contravene the Freedom of Navigation as stipulated by the convention.
On Wednesday night, the UNSC passed a resolution that calls upon Article 51 of the UN Charter, which allows member states to exercise their collective or individual right to self-defense, in response to retaliatory attacks by Iran in the Gulf region. This resolution, backed by 134 countries, was approved with 13 votes in favor and two abstentions from China and Russia.
The reality is that Iran is intentionally attacking shipping in the Persian Gulf to instigate a global oil crisis and a food crisis in the Middle East. The fact that the Sunni Gulf nations are merely defending themselves against Iranian missile attacks without retaliating against Tehran indicates that they do not want to be openly aligned with the US, especially Israel. However, the Gulf leaders are secretly angry at Iran for causing them collateral damage and plan to retaliate discreetly when the opportunity arises.
Despite Iran's use of kamikaze drones to assault ships in the Gulf, indications suggest that the IRGC could be targeting tankers with underwater drones or projectiles, even though there is no proof of mines being used by the Islamist regime. The incident involving a Thai-flagged tanker being hit in the hull fuels suspicions that Iran may be aiming at these tankers with underwater projectiles.
Up to this point, Iran has targeted 19 ships in the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in the deaths of approximately seven individuals. Since Iran is leveraging the Strait of Hormuz for military purposes, the global energy crisis is expected to persist until the Iranian regime either falls or agrees to negotiations with the United States.