Mystery increases in the Strait of Hormuz! Several oil tankers made sudden U-turns, some passing close to Iran. Iran’s warning, UK-France’s preparations and new crisis looming on global oil supply.
Tehran/Washington: The most vulnerable and sensitive vein of the global economy—the Strait of Hormuz—has now been transformed into a fierce international diplomatic and military arena. The sudden U-turn of at least eight giant ships and oil tankers struggling to get out of the Persian Gulf has created panic in the sea lanes. Sensational revelations from tracking data show that ships changed course out of fear after reaching the narrow chokepoint on the Musandam Peninsula. This suspense hovering over the ocean waves has held the breath of the entire world, because one-third of the world’s sea oil passes through here.
‘Dark Mode’ game at sea: What are ships afraid of?
To pass through this narrow and dangerous passage of Hormuz, ship captains are now having to adopt hair-raising methods. Many commercial ships, oil tankers and bulk carriers have completely disabled their Automatic Identification System (AIS) due to fear of detection and missile attacks. American naval forces are secretly guiding these ships, which are disappearing from the ocean maps and traveling in ‘dark mode’. The most surprising thing is that while some ships are taking a U-turn out of fear, some ships have deliberately chosen to pass close to the coastal area of Iran. Whether this is part of some secret agreement with Iran or compulsion, this mystery has deepened.
Grand mission of Western powers: Will a new war break out in the Gulf?
Meanwhile, a joint veto-like statement by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron has added to the smell of gunpowder in the strait. France has deployed its ‘mine countermeasure’ warships to remove sea mines from this strategic waterway. Both countries have openly declared that they, along with Oman, are trying to establish control over this waterway. This pair of Britain and France is preparing to launch a very big ‘multinational military mission’ here. Western countries argue that Hormuz is the backbone of the global economy, and they cannot leave it at the mercy of Iran at any cost.
Iran’s scary warning: ‘This is not an arena for foreign powers!’
Iran has given a very aggressive and sharp reaction to this military siege by Western countries. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi has issued an open challenge to America, Britain and France through a post on social media platform ‘X’. He warned in a clear tone that the Strait of Hormuz is not an “arena” for military display by foreign powers. Gharibabadi roared that the real and only guarantors of the security of this waterway are only Iran and Oman. Iran has indicated that if external interference does not stop, it will take over the entire shipping route and start collecting toll taxes as per its wish.
Global economy in the shadow of instability: Will the wheel of the world stop?
Before the start of the war on 28 February, one-fifth of the world’s oil passed through this strait. To stop the hostility between America and Iran and to run this route smoothly, several temporary agreements were made, in which the tax was stopped for some time. But now all those promises and agreements appear to be on paper. Markets all over the world are scared due to uncertainty regarding the future and security of toll tax. If this process of ships taking U-turns does not stop due to tension in the Strait of Hormuz, then global oil prices may skyrocket, which may become the cause of a major economic crisis.