Global maritime conflicts escalate from Hormuz to North Sea, analysis says
9 reported
A Guardian analysis reports that a global maritime war is underway, with conflicts ranging from the Strait of Hormuz to the North Sea, driven by unilateral actions by major powers and the breakdown of international maritime law. The article cites the US military campaign to protect merchant shipping from Iranian attacks in the Strait of Hormuz as a key example, noting that the US has historically upheld freedom of navigation but has recently suggested imposing tolls. It also describes copycat blockades by Houthi militias in the Bab al-Mandab strait, debates in Indonesia about tolls in the Strait of Malacca, and increasing clashes in the South China Sea involving China, Japan, and the Philippines. The analysis highlights Russian maritime operations near the UK, including a live-fire drill south of Plymouth, and notes a global arms race fueled by instability. The author, Simon Tisdall, argues that these developments reflect a breakdown in centuries-old maritime cooperation and international legal norms.
What’s reported
The US military campaign to protect merchant shipping from Iranian attacks in the Strait of Hormuz is not unique to the Trump administration; a similar US naval mission occurred in 1825-27 in the Mediterranean.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared in June that "no country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway," but Trump later suggested the US may impose tolls.
A "memorandum of understanding" with Iran accepts that Iran has a right, with Oman, to monetize transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
Houthi militias have begun a copycat blockade of the Bab al-Mandab strait; two oil tankers were struck this week.
Indonesia is debating imposing tolls in the Strait of Malacca, through which 22% of global maritime shipping passes.
China conducted a live-fire drill inside Japan's exclusive economic zone about 180km from Okinotori island.
A Russian frigate accompanied the Chinese warship off Japan; Russia also conducted a live-fire drill 70 nautical miles south of Plymouth on the first day of UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham's term.
The US unlawfully sank an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka in March; Trump revived threats to annex Greenland and bombed civilian boats off Venezuela.
A Chinese nuclear submarine test-fired a long-range ballistic missile in the South Pacific this month.
Key figures
Donald Trump, former US president
Marco Rubio, US secretary of state
Simon Tisdall, Guardian foreign affairs commentator
Andy Burnham, UK prime minister
Sanae Takaichi, Japan's new prime minister
Vladimir Putin, Russian president
Sources: The Guardian
