flown-the-coop said:
Iced-T14 said:
What do you mean by "recognized as their territory"? It IS their territory. Again, the Strait is not international waters, it is the territory of Iran and Oman. Similar to all waters within 12 nautical miles of shoreline.
In addition, the entirety of the Strait falls within the Contiguous Zone (12-24 nautical miles).
What's being challenged is if they have to allow trade through their waters or not, but the ownership of the waters is not in question
You just said Iran didn't ratify UNCLOS but now say because of UNCLOS its in their "Contiguous Zone". Which is it?
International Law, of which there is much debate so lets go with longstanding international customs, consider the Strait of Hormuz as a transit passage. If Iran is now ready to bring in Iraq and Kuwait to our side of the fight, they can stand on their position that the SoH is all theirs and they will handle it as they see fit. It would also bring them further into the fray with the United Nations and overall international community.
And as I mentioned, if they want to go this route then we will proceed with the taking of their coastal territory and facilities. Strait of Freedom de Triump sounds good to me. We can then charge ships a fee to transit under our protection.
Sound good?
No, you're missing the point here. Iran hasn't ratified UNCLOS, but doesn't mean terms like "territorial sea" or "contiguous zone" suddenly don't exist. Those are maritime norms everyone uses to describe coastal waters, whether they've signed UNCLOS or not. So there's no contradiction there.
Second, the Strait is not international waters, it is inside Iran and Oman. Basic geography.
The argument Iran is making is that the transit rights rest in whatever Iran permits (not whatever UNCLOS establishes) and is exerting their control over the Strait. To be clear, this is not new. Iran's own maritime law since 1993 has required prior approval for foreign warships and other vessels to pass through the sea. Basically the argument is that because Iran allowed it in the past, doesn't mean they need to now or in the future.
But sure, if you want to expand past the borders of this war of nuclear material into one of conquest, then go ahead and admit that you're just a warmonger