An inconsistent blockadepublished at 05:08 BST
05:08 BST
Frank Gardner
Security correspondent
The first 24 hours of the US naval blockade of Iran’s ports have been notable for their inconsistency.
At least four Iran-linked vessels have passed through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, two of them having come from Iranian ports: Bushehr and Bandar Imam Khomeini.
There are several possible explanations for this.
One is that US naval forces were not quite ready to enforce it yet. Another suggestion is that the vessels interfered with their onboard AIS transponders to mislead others as to their true whereabouts, a practice known as “spoofing”.
Then there is the China factor. China is a major buyer of Iran’s oil and it has made no secret of its displeasure over the restrictions on energy supplies coming out of the Gulf, calling the blockade reckless and dangerous.
China would prefer to resolve this crisis by peaceful, diplomatic means. But as the standoff continues there may well be discussions back in Beijing about whether it is now time to consider providing a naval escort for cargoes bound for China.
