The unlawful adoption of financial sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, or “economic terrorism” as political scholars refer to it, is among the most egregious tactics employed by the United States to undermine the Iranian economy, including severe restrictions on Iran’s ability to export its crude oil.
However, it was the year when the entire world witnessed Iran’s petrochemical products being exported to Venezuela through five oil tankers. The United States had no other option but to watch helplessly as Iranian ships traversed the Atlantic Ocean, dealing a devastating blow to American hegemony in Latin America—deemed by most American politicians as their backyard—potentially jeopardising Ynakees’ long-standing political and military supremacy in the southern hemisphere.
Because of Washington’s waning hegemony in international waters, the White House has unwisely embraced another malicious strategy to weaken Tehran’s international commerce: state piracy operations, which the US typically implements through a third party. In the most recent episode, Greece’s seizure of Iranian oil cargo did not go unnoticed by Iran.
This blatant act of piracy has exposed America’s utterly repugnant character on the international scene.
It must be noted that the Greeks detained the Iranian-flagged “Pegasus” oil tanker in Greek waters a month ago, as officials in Athens falsely claimed to have captured a Russian ship under the European Union’s sanctions placed on Moscow in response to the ongoing Ukraine crisis.
After a few days, it became clear to all that the vessel was in fact carrying Iranian petrochemicals rather than Russian oil, compelling the Greek authorities to release the Iranian ship.
After a while, the Iranian ship was renamed “Lana,” but Greek authorities confiscated the Iranian tanker once again. Afterwards, the Greek-owned Liberian-flagged oil tanker “Ice Energy” transferred Iranian crude oil from the “Lana”, which eventually made its way to the United States.
Later, it was revealed that the US Treasury Department—as the epicentre of Washington’s economic warfare against Iran—concocted the piracy incident in Greece.
But the US-backed maritime piracy carried out by Greece did not go unpunished, as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC] released a communiqué announcing that the IRGC’s naval force had confiscated two Greek tankers in the Persian Gulf in response to Athens’ legal contraventions.
“Prudent Warrior” and “Delta Poseidon” are the names of two Greek tankers captured in the Persian Gulf; one was seized near Asaluyeh in Iranian territorial waters, while the other was detained near the Iranian island of Hendurabi.
Iran’s IRGC has repeatedly warned that Tehran has an uncompromising military determination to punish countries that block the free passage of Iranian maritime commerce through shameless acts of piracy.
Today, the Persian Gulf has become a vital waterway that reminds both friends and foes of the fact that Iran has such military might and capabilities that it is impossible to escape Iran’s quick retribution.