Conflict Arises in the Oman Gulf Amid US-Iran Face-off

Tensions are flaring in the Persian Gulf. It begin on the 5th of July when Iran tried to seize two American oil tankers in the strait of Hormuz- a 39km strait connecting Oman and the Persian Gulf and further, fired shots at one of them.

The first vessel was a Marshal Islands-flagged oil tanker going through the strait of Hormuz heading for the Arabian Sea that’s when an Iranian vessel approached it and didn’t leave until the arrival of a US Navy destroyer- USS McFall. Three hours later, a different American oil tanker called the ‘Richman Voyager’. This tanker too was heading for the Arabian Sea and was approached by the Iranian vessel. Consequently, the US tanker issued a distress call, and the same US Navy Destroyer- McFall received the call and set sail towards it. As the Americans got closer, the Iranians ‘opened fire’ targeting the tanker. No injuries have been reported as they hit the side of the ship. Once again, on the arrival of the US Navy, the Iranians rolled back in again.

The US claims that in these two incidents, the intervention of the US Navy prevented Iran from capturing these oil tankers. On the contrary, Iran later justified that it was operating on a court order. The court ordered them to seize the second American tanker- Richmond Voyage= which had collided with an Iranian Vessel hence why the court ordered them to capture it.  However, Iran hasn’t said a word about its attempt to capture the first vessel

The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s most important oil passageway. One-fifth of all global oil shipments pass through the strait of Hormuz. In 2019, it was 17.4 million barrels of oil per day. The facts establish, this strait is critical to the oil trade and Iran’s actions have raised concerns.

This however isn’t the first instance when Iran attacked the US. The US Navy alleges, in the last two years, Iran has seized at least five commercial vessels in the last two years and has harassed more than a dozen others.  Such interceptions began in 2018 after the US walked out of the Iran Nuclear Deal. Since then, they have launched a series of attacks targeting the American ships in these strategic gulf waters. It must be marked, we are only a week away from the eighth anniversary of the Iran Nuclear deal and reports say Iran and US are discussing it again through mediators. Recently, they have been hinting at compromises. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah said, “There is nothing wrong with a deal with the West”.

Both Iran and US need the deal. Both countries have elections coming up, Iran has parliamentary elections and the easing off of the sanctions will give the regime a boost. The U.S. has presidential elections and Biden has to fulfill its promises, including the one on the Iran deal.

An interim deal between Iran and the United States is very much of a possibility, in which case, Iran’s actions in the Gulf of Oman could just be posturing.