After two more oil tankers were attacked in the Middle East, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and President Trump stated Iran was responsible for the attacks. This brings to six the number of oil tankers attacked by Iran.
Iran is attempting to get the United States to lift its crippling economic sanctions which have severely restricted its oil shipments. Iran is trying to interdict oil shipments from competing countries in the region and could be trying to drive up world oil prices, but this strategy runs the risk of the United States and other countries taking military action against Iran.
We, and other impacted countries, should put an end to the Iranian attacks on the oil tankers by conducting mine sweeping operations in the Gulf of Oman, Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. Impacted countries should provide naval escorts to the tankers. If necessary, Iranian naval forces should be neutralized, and while at it, we could take out Iran’s strategic weapons systems.
Donald Moskowitz
Londonderry, N.H.
The writer is a 1963 Penn State graduate.