Iran currently exercises military veto power over commercial shipping traffic near and at the Strait of Hormuz.Iran has rules that it has established for transit of Hormuz., rules that it believes it needs to fight its existential war. Follow Iran's rules, like China does, and your ships get through. Refuse to follow them and your ships are in danger from military enforcement of the rules, and in almost all cases the shipping company will simply refuse to risk the transit.U.S. attempts to remove Iran's veto ...

Why are littoral combat ships equipped with minesweeping packages being diverted to Malaysia?One of the possible, and perhaps most likely, reasons is highly problematic for the future of freedom of navigation.Minesweeping near Malaysia or Indonesia is not a useful part of deterring China from invading Taiwan. In a scenario where the U.S. is ramping up such deterrence, the most rational strategy would involve interdiction of Chinese commercial shipping, in which case we would be preparing to lay mines, or ta ...

RT Nick Szabo (@NickSzabo4)@duganist No, the U.S. must allow China freedom of navigation of the seas, just as Russia allows U.S. ships and planes resupplying Ukraine freedom of navigation. There are bright lines that distinguish proxy wars from direct wars and only insane people would cross them. ...

RT Nick Szabo (@NickSzabo4)Why don't you address his point though? The U.S. Navy and Air Force obliterated Iran's conventional navy and air force -- congratulations! Job well done on the 20th century battlefield!Yet Iran, not the U.S., controls the Strait of Hormuz.Because all those conventional forces don't hold a candle to the 21st century warfare of missiles and drone planes and drone speedboats and the impregnable 21st century control over strategic waterways countries like the Houthis, Iran, and perhap ...

RT Nick Szabo (@NickSzabo4)@EmmanuelMacron "Freedom of navigation." Are you also demanding mermaids and boat fairies? Freedom of navigation is dead. Your friends in Israel and the U.S. killed it. ...