US naval blockade on Iran’s ports disrupts 125 vessels amid escalating regional tensions and oil trade warfare
Original framing: “Centcom says 125 vessels redirected under Iran port blockade” — Middle East Eye
The blockade echoes historical patterns of economic warfare, from the British naval blockade of the Persian Gulf in the 19th century to the US-led sanctions on Iraq in the 1990s, which killed an estimated 500,000 children. The 1953 coup in Iran, orchestrated by the CIA and MI6 to overthrow Mossadegh, set a precedent for using economic pressure to destabilize sovereign states. The current blockade also parallels the 1980s 'Tanker War,' where US and Iranian forces targeted each other’s oil shipments, escalating into direct conflict.
The US naval blockade on Iran’s ports is not merely a geopolitical tool but a symptom of deeper systemic patterns: the militarization of global trade, the weaponization of economic sanctions, and the erasure of marginalized voices in favor of state power.
Historically, such blockades have been tools of imperial control, from the British occupation of the Persian Gulf to the US-led sanctions on Iraq, each leaving a trail of ecological and humanitarian destruction. The blockade’s framing by CENTCOM and its allies obscures these precedents, instead presenting the action as a rational response to Iranian aggression—ignoring how US military presence in the Gulf itself fuels regional instability. Indigenous maritime knowledge, from Persian Gulf fishermen to Sama-Bajau navigators, offers a counter-narrative that sees the sea as a living, interconnected system rather than a battleground. Meanwhile, the trickster figures of Eshu and Hermes expose the absurdity of a policy that claims to bring order but instead sows chaos, from rerouted supply chains to ecological collapse. The path forward requires dismantling the blockade’s logic entirely, replacing it with decentralized trade networks, diplomatic engagement, and cultural resistance that centers the voices of those most affected.