Ever since the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf Arabs have tried to reduce their vulnerability to Iranian attacks on their oil exports. One method is bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has followed the oil to the Red Sea.
Yes, I've worried about that threat:
The Houthi attacks are an unprecedented demonstration of the group's formidable arsenal, which has grown in size and sophistication and could present a potent threat to US warships operating in strategically valuable waterways around the Arabian Peninsula.
The USS Thomas Hudner, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, shot down a drone launched from Yemen while operating in the Red Sea on Wednesday.
And the threat is broader than one that targets our Navy. I've warned about Iran's role for the Houthis in their oil war plans. Will CENTCOM pound the Iran-supported Houthis in Yemen? Maybe. But it will be a drive-by that doesn't resolve the problem.
Remember
that Biden very publicly condemned Saudi Arabia for its long war against the Houthis.
The Saudis needed to remind America to take their security concerns
seriously. But now Iran is doing the reminding.
The Navy fought Iran in the "tanker war"in the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq War. It may need to do so again on a wider front. The threat includes naval mines, too. Don't get too giddy about missile defenses working--as long as they aren't overwhelmed by numbers exceeding their magazine capacity. Simpler weapons are more plentiful.
We'll see if the Biden administration learns real lessons about who our friends and enemies are. Or will this just be a lovers tiff?
UPDATE: Ran across an old post about a Tanker War 2.0 that describes the original in the late 1980s in the Persian Gulf.
UPDATE: Interdiction:
A cargo ship linked to an Israeli billionaire was allegedly seized by Iran-backed rebels in the Red Sea on Sunday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it "strongly condemns the Iranian attack against an international vessel."
"The ship, which is owned by a British company and is operated by a Japanese firm, was hijacked with Iran guidance by the Yemenite Houthi militia," Netanyahu's office said in a statement.
America does have Marines afloat in the region and forces in Djibouti.
UPDATE: Background on Yemen.
UPDATE: More on Yemen and the Iran connection, including:
Yemen lies on the eastern side of the Bab el-Mandeb (Gateway of Anguish), the strait connecting the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Threaten ships in the Red Sea and oil prices may rise, but the price of maritime insurance will definitely spike and raise the cost of imported goods.
NOTE: The image was made from DALL-E.
NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.
NOTE: I'm adding updates on the Last Hamas War in this post.
