By Robert Farley
Iran’s seizure of the MV Maersk Tigris raises important questions for the United States’ ability to ensure maritime security.
Much remains murky about Tuesday’s Iranian stoppage and seizure of a Marshall Islands-flagged container ship in international waters. The seizure comes on the heels of a successful effort by the United States Navy to interdict an Iranian supply convoy destined for Yemen.
It is not certain at this point that the IRGC seizure of the Maersk vessel was intended as a direct response to the U.S. intervention, if it was part of an effort by the IRGC to scuttle the nuclear deal, if it represented a broader effort to test U.S. resolve, or if it was unrelated to the U.S. except by coincidence.
What we do know is that the effective U.S. guarantee of maritime security, and of freedom of the seas, has been made part of a bargaining dispute between the United States and Iran. Regardless of the reasons for the seizure, it now apparently represents a showdown in which both Iran and the United States have staked their credibility.
Read the full story at The Diplomat