Commentary
Iran seized a U.S. oil cargo destined for Houston on April 27. The seizure of Kuwaiti oil transiting the Gulf of Oman was apparently in retaliation for a U.S. seizure of Iranian oil off the coast of South Africa a few days earlier. The original U.S. seizure was part of sanctions against Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
The Biden administration responded to Iran’s latest seizure with an information release about arming a squadron of A-10 Warthog planes in the Middle East with 250-pound precision-guided bunker-buster bombs, a direct threat to Iran’s nuclear program, as well as its affiliated fighters in Iraq and Syria. The Warthogs are relatively slow compared to jet fighters but can be used in the Syrian theater where militants are lightly armed.
However, traditional shows of U.S. military strength are losing their efficacy. The U.S. Navy recently increased its presence in the Middle East with a guided missile submarine capable of carrying 150 Tomahawk missiles. Iran’s foreign ministry responded by saying that the United States was attempting to “cover up the decline of its power in the world.” The ministry spokesman said on Twitter, “The American regime has moved in a direction contrary to the will of the nations of the region.”
