Anyone have more info on the Iran situation with the British tanker?

2019-07-23T19:06:06-04:00

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Jul 24 at 2019 12:42 AM

2019-07-24T00:42:19-04:00

The British tanker is part of the ongoing historic struggle between Iran and the U.K. It has little to do with the US. Any chance Iran can snub the U.K. It does. They name streets after IRA icons and the like. So there are four elements of national power: DIME. Diplomatic, Informational, Military, and Economic.

This will play out in the Diplomatic lane. The tanker will likely be returned quietly and without fanfare. If the Iranians don't, they run the risk of drawing the ire of the people in Europe who still return their phone calls. It is unlikely that there will be a military raid to recover the ship and its crew. As soon as that ship was boarded, the people were likely wisked far inland and possibly dispersed, out of strike range for a rescue. They learned from Operation Eagle Claw. The ship is firmly in Iranian custody in territorial waters. Economic levers may be pulled to compel Iran to behave themselves. This is the rocky rise of a regional power that hopes to exert more control over the gulf, the gulf states and their neighbors. They are feeling the sting of US led sanctions.