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The Strait of Hormuz, which borders Iran, is a crucial waterway because much of the world's oil supply passes through the narrow waterway. Recently, there have been a growing number of instances of the Iranian military seizing oil tankers that pass through the waterway. As a result, oil prices have increased worldwide since it is a globally traded commodity and tension between the US and Iran has greatly increased.
The origins of this issue come from what is known as the "Tanker War," which began during the Iraq-Iran War. Iraq, which is backed by the US, attempted to cut off Iran's main export, oil, by bombing their outgoing shipments of oil. In response, Iran attacked oil shipments to Iraq by utilizing the Strait of Hormuz. This resulted in direct US intervention and since then, relations between the US and Iran have only intensified. Do you think this is another example of the US attempting to exert their influence in the Middle East or do you think this is for the greater good?
The origins of this issue come from what is known as the "Tanker War," which began during the Iraq-Iran War. Iraq, which is backed by the US, attempted to cut off Iran's main export, oil, by bombing their outgoing shipments of oil. In response, Iran attacked oil shipments to Iraq by utilizing the Strait of Hormuz. This resulted in direct US intervention and since then, relations between the US and Iran have only intensified. Do you think this is another example of the US attempting to exert their influence in the Middle East or do you think this is for the greater good?
Given the one sided nature of this encounter, It is manifest that this is another attempt by the U.S to secure their influence in the middle east, especially given the importance of Iraqi oil in an american economy. Obviously it is not for the greater good in general with this simply being another instance of the U.S working towards their own interests. This, however does have its good traits; Is the U.S supposed to let its oil supply be harmed by Iran? ultimately, i believe this would be necessary to continue providing americans with cheap and affordable oil.
ReplyDeleteJUNG HAYE
I definitely think that this is an example of the US trying to exert its influence in the Middle East, but I don’t think that this is a bad thing. The US’s goal with Iran is to limit their advances in nuclear weapons technology while keeping the oil supply from the Strait of Hormuz open because they want to prevent Iran from gaining that kind of power and they want to prevent global oil prices from increasing, so I guess what the US is doing could be considered for the greater good, even though it is also in the US’s best interest to achieve these things. At the end of the day, everyone wants to have lower oil prices, but I don’t see how an escalating conflict in the Strait of Hormuz can be avoided since the US and Iran have very unstable diplomatic relations and since this is all arising as a result of Trump reneging on the Iran nuclear deal.
ReplyDeleteThe question you're asking is a false dichotomy: the US can be exerting their influence, and this influence can still be for the greater good. This is not to say that it is for the greater good, but that this "greater good" obviously depends on the actor. It is in the US's best interest, as Nathan Chu said, to keep its global oil prices low, and regardless of what you want to say about oil being bad for the environment, a sudden spike in prices would cause a lot of damage. The US does benefit more from its control of the strait than any other country which could be forced to negotiate with the US for good oil prices or its own share of the supply, and in that context, if we're assuming we want to act in our own country's best interest this is a good decision. Escalating conflicts in an already unstable region isn't a great idea either, but letting Iran gain more influence isn't great either. There are never any simple solutions in international relations.
ReplyDeleteI would say that Iran should not be blocking the strait of Hormuz in general. It is part of a major international shipping line and blocking it could bring large parts of the world economy to a halt. Therefore, it is good that someone is going in to fix that issue, even if they are the US which admittedly does not have the best track record when it comes to its involvement in Middle East Politics and Conflict.
ReplyDeleteThe US have severely damaged the Iranian economy due to sanctions put in place by blocking the canal. It's another way of hurting the economy and taking control in the Middle East so I can understand why Iran has continued to fight back and try to regain power. I think the issue is just highlighting the tension between the US and in the Middle East just so each country feels like they're doing something. Iran is fighting back in any way that they can in the u.s. is continuing to try and gain control.
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