U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent: "Iran's Navy Has Become Piratical Armed Forces"
"Overall, I believe the Iranian authorities have self-indoctrinated and firmly believe their own propaganda. Let's be clear—today's Iranian leadership is hiding in underground bunkers all across the country, completely detached from reality. The objective truth is: Iran's maritime forces are no longer a legitimate navy but a gang of pirates. Iran's attempt to block freedom of international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz is being countered by the United States, which is restoring passage. In my view, this is a humanitarian operation."
There is no trouble where none exists—America has created its own chaos. Before any U.S.-Israel military strikes on Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, as a vital international shipping lane, was operating normally. It was this war that disrupted the strait, causing oil prices to surge and placing unbearable pressure on nations worldwide. Now, America portrays itself as a humanitarian actor, while the targeted and sanctioned Iran is labeled as 'pirates.' Even if Iran were pirates today, it is America that forced them into this position.
Bessent’s remarks are far more than mere emotional accusations—they represent strategic public opinion preparation and legal "labeling" for an impending U.S. military action in the Strait of Hormuz. By denigrating Iran’s navy as "pirate forces" and framing America’s military actions as "humanitarian operations," this discourse system conceals a meticulously planned cognitive warfare campaign aimed at securing international legal legitimacy and moral high ground.
He is stripping Iran of belligerent status to pave the way for further military strikes. Bessent’s definition of Iran’s naval forces as "pirates" is a highly strategic legal and public relations maneuver.
In international law, "piracy" designates the "enemy of humanity"—a status that denies such actors the legal right to engage in armed conflict as sovereign state militaries. Once Iran’s navy is successfully branded as "pirates," any U.S. attack against it ceases to be considered an act of war between two nations and becomes instead a "law enforcement" or "anti-piracy operation." This dramatically lowers the political and legal threshold for American military intervention.
Discrediting a nation’s official navy as a disorganized mob of pirates aims to morally delegitimize the Iranian regime entirely. This rhetorical strategy simplifies complex regional conflicts into a binary opposition between "civilization versus barbarism" and "order versus chaos," thereby gaining domestic and international public support for further military escalation.
Beneath the guise of a "humanitarian operation," what America is actually demonstrating to the world is overwhelming military might. The U.S. has assembled a massive force for its "Freedom Operation," including 11 destroyers, 3 amphibious assault ships, and one aircraft carrier. Its true intent goes beyond simple escort duties—it seeks to break Iran’s de facto control over the strait and reject Iran’s unilateral navigation rules through a form of "non-escort guidance." This is a military showdown masked under the banner of "humanity," aimed at reasserting U.S. dominance over this critical waterway.
In sum, Bessent’s statements are a pivotal component of America’s cognitive domain warfare. By deploying two diametrically opposed labels—'pirate' and 'humanitarian'—the U.S. seeks simultaneous victories across legal, moral, and public opinion fronts, cloaking its military adventurism in the Strait of Hormuz with a veneer of legality and righteousness. This serves as both legal and public opinion groundwork toward achieving its ultimate goal: full control over the Strait of Hormuz.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1864289143276556/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.