Stephen Lendman
From July 21 - 31, Joint Task Force (mostly US, but also UK, Brazil and Italy) “Operation Brimstone” large scale war games were conducted off the US East coast in the North Atlantic. Its purpose may have been to prepare for a naval blockade of Iran. Initial reports after its completion were that participating ships were deployed to Persian Gulf and Arabian and Red Sea locations to join up with the present American strike force in the region. The major media cover none of this, and US Navy sources deny it. So precise information is unclear. From what’s known, however, redeployment may be planned, and a blockade may ensue. The situation remains tense and worrisome.
Under international and US law, blockades are acts of war and variously defined as:
– surrounding a nation or objective with hostile forces;
– measures to isolate an enemy;
– encirclement and besieging;
– preventing the passage in or out of supplies, military forces or aid in time of or as an act of war; and
– an act of naval warfare to block access to an enemy’s coastline and deny entry to all vessels and aircraft.
In 2009, it’s believed that the International Criminal Court in the Hague will include blockades against coasts and ports as acts of war.
International law expert Professor Francis Boyle is very outspoken on this topic as well as on others of equal importance. He defines blockades under international and US law as: More
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