Issue 422 September 1, 2019
Although the war of words and threats between Iran and other powers led by the United States of America continue to escalate, there is persistent hope that further escalation will be contained, and that better sense will prevail.
The Strait of Hormuz has for long been a stretch of water on which strengths have been tested but the latest episode of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) capturing ‘Stena Impero,’ a British vessel on July 19, 2019, brought Teheran close to a flash point.
That was two weeks after an Iranian tanker was seized just off the coast of Gibraltar by the United Kingdom.
Iran rebuffed European efforts to defuse tensions in the Persian Gulf, calling military escorts to secure shipping a provocation and rejecting U.K. terms for resolving a crisis over seized tankers.
Hope with Kuwait
Javad Zarif, Iran’s Foreign Minister said that Stena Impero was involved in an accident with an Iranian fishing boat. His British counterpart Dominic Raab is worried that Iran may be going down a dangerous path. On August 18, 2019, Mr Zarif visited Kuwait for talks with Foreign Minister Shaikh Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah, focusing on easing the situation and fostering maritime security in the Gulf.
Iran and the US have been crossing swords for more than 30 years since the US Embassy seizure in Teheran. The Strait of Hormuz became a serious bone of contention. In early 2012, Iran threatened to interfere with ships travelling through the Strait in retaliation for US and European sanctions targeting its oil sales. The Western effort was part of a concerted programme to halt Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
In response to US sanctions on Iran attempting to stop Tehran’s oil exports and strangle its economy, the Iranian government has threatened to cause problems for oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
We are among the optimists who believe that Kuwait will continue to try to balance good relations with both Iran and its regional and international antagonists throughout the forecast period (2019-2023).
