The Comprehensive Naval Blockade: A Return to Piracy

The US-Iranian military confrontation has entered a dangerous phase with the United States imposing a comprehensive naval blockade on Iranian seaports and militarizing the Strait of Hormuz, a precedent reminiscent of the history of maritime piracy, most recently carried out by armed groups in Somalia. In light of this, significant efforts are being made for the resumption of US-Iranian negotiations this coming Thursday, in Islamabad or Geneva, through Pakistani mediation.

The US-Israeli war on the Islamic Republic of Iran has failed to achieve its stated goals of changing and overthrowing the regime. Eliminating the Iranian nuclear program was a primary objective, in addition to dismantling its ballistic missile program. In light of Washington's utter failure to achieve these goals, the United States has been strategically defeated. This analysis has been put forth by several thinkers in the United States. Consequently, US President Trump is searching for any illusory victory to extricate himself from the predicament he has fallen into, incited by the extremist Netanyahu.

It seems to me that negotiations between Tehran and Washington are the only way out for President Trump, who faces a host of internal and external problems due to his contradictory policies, which have led to security and military developments that have particularly affected the region's countries. President Trump's war has raised energy prices to record levels in years, and the American citizen is now suffering.

There is also inflation and continuous criticism of President Trump from the American press and media, and from a number of thinkers and artists in Hollywood, which has put the man in difficult and complex circumstances. This is in contrast to the situation in Iran, where there is popular unity, even among opponents of the Iranian regime, due to national solidarity and cohesion in facing the external enemy.

The US-Israeli plan focused on overthrowing the Iranian regime by creating widespread popular chaos after the initial comprehensive attack, but that did not happen. Instead, the American people have become resentful of the Trump administration, and many people in Israel are angry with Netanyahu and his endless wars, as millions of Israelis remained in shelters for more than a month, in addition to the shelling of Israeli cities with ballistic missiles that caused great destruction in a number of cities in the occupied Israeli entity.

On the external front, allies in Europe have risen up against US President Trump's policy, and a number of Western countries have refused to go along with Trump in entering a war against the Islamic Republic of Iran. The American state has lost its international prestige, its respect for international law, and has endangered global security and stability through an unprecedented military adventure fueled by Israeli incitement.

What is happening in the Strait of Hormuz and the comprehensive naval blockade is a real act of piracy against international trade, supply chains, rising energy prices, and creating a state of instability. Therefore, Iran is not the only one affected by this illegal naval blockade; rather, the countries of the world are also affected. Hence, lifting this comprehensive naval blockade and returning to diplomacy is the realistic solution to end the war, which was one of the grave mistakes of the US President Trump's administration.

We mentioned in a previous article that the US-Israeli war on Iran has turned into a war of attrition, which is what Tehran, Hezbollah, and the rest of the resistance in Iraq and Yemen have sought. All military battles in history show that a regular army of any country, no matter how powerful, cannot win a war of attrition against resistance forces or against a large country with a vast geographical expanse and a population united with its leadership to repel external aggression.

Therefore, the best option for the United States is to end the war and not impose preconditions, as negotiations between parties are subject to bargaining and mutual concessions, especially since the United States failed to force Iran's surrender as President Trump and his administration expected. Thus, facing the facts, the Geneva or Islamabad round must finalize the Iranian nuclear deal, especially since the US-Iranian negotiations had reached an advanced stage through the distinguished mediation of our country, the Sultanate of Oman. However, the treachery of the US administration and the incitement of the Zionist entity wasted an important diplomatic opportunity to avoid the war that harmed the GCC countries and all parties to the conflict.

In my view, the biggest loss for the Zionist entity and the Trump administration is the shattering of the global Zionist project. The Islamic Republic of Iran was the major obstacle to the launch of that suspicious project to redraw the geography of the Middle East so that Israel would control the region's resources, based on the map of Greater Israel.

It is true that the global Zionist project has not been completely broken, but the features of that break have become clear through Iran's steadfastness in the face of US-Israeli aggression. In light of this, the changes that will occur after the war will be significant, especially for the countries of the region, and the issue of American protection, which has recorded a dismal failure. Therefore, the American military bases—whose existence has become questionable—in addition to Arab national security, require in-depth discussion after the disaster of the war.

The American domestic scene is rife with major conflicts under an administration that is floundering in many of its policies and is looking for a way out after embroiling itself in a military adventure with unforeseen consequences. In light of this, diplomacy remains the best option to find a fair, equitable, and sustainable nuclear agreement to end the wars in the region.

Furthermore, the comprehensive naval blockade is an illegal act aimed at achieving political objectives, which is unacceptable, as it disrupts the interests of the world's nations to achieve goals that Washington failed to attain during the war