US Strikes Iranian Tankers as Tehran Hits Jordan Base
Is destroying Iran's oil tankers a justified strike at IRGC funding or is it maritime piracy that invites retaliation?
Above: Missiles launched from Iran and intercepted by Jordanian air defense systems on Sept. 9. Image credit: Izz Aldien Alqasem/Anadolu/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-Trump narrative
Iran keeps firing ballistic missiles at U.S. Navy warships, and though every single attempt has failed, this issue needs resolving: America must take away the money. Attacking American sailors will cost Tehran, especially when its fleet of crude oil carriers bankrolls a multibillion-dollar shadow network that pays for the IRGC and its proxies.
Pro-Iran narrative
This is maritime piracy. Warnings were issued in advance that any strike on Iranian tankers would bring retaliation against U.S. bases across the region, and the missile barrage on Al Azraq was the promised answer. A country whose commercial fleet gets destroyed has every right to hit back.
