BREAKING: Iran’s Foreign Minister said on American TV that the Strait of Hormuz is open, blames U.S. “aggression” for ships avoiding it, says countries are negotiating directly for safe passage.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi appeared on Face the Nation and insisted Iran has not closed the Strait of Hormuz.
Asked by host Nora O’Donnell about reports that European diplomats are talking to Iran about safe passage for their vessels, Araghchi said Iran’s military has already decided to allow certain ships from different countries to pass safely.
He blamed “insecurity” caused by U.S. and EU “aggression” for why commercial traffic has stopped, failing to note the Iranian attacks on tankers and threats of mining that have made the strait too dangerous for most ships and their insurers.
Iran’s behavior, like this crisis itself, was entirely predictable. Trump’s war made it inevitable that Iran would target the Strait, which carries 20% of global oil. Now, long time friends are reportedly abandoning the U.S.-led efforts and negotiating directly with Iran.
While Trump has urged allies to send more warships to the region, Europe is looking for its own way out rather than supporting Trump’s escalation. French President Emmanuel Macron said today that France will not deploy additional vessels into the Strait while the conflict continues.
Clearly, this war is backfiring. Our allies are sensibly bailing on the now-volatile U.S.and possibly negotiating directly with Iran. – Occupy Democrats