The U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said in an interview today (Beijing time May 6): "Right now, there is a country illegally and criminally occupying international waterways and blowing up merchant ships. I don't know whether people realize how outrageous this is."
Commentary
On May 5, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio once again played the role of a "moral guardian," accusing a certain country of "illegally and criminally occupying international waterways and sabotaging merchant vessels." His tone brimmed with the self-righteous indignation of "the world is drunk, but I am sober." Yet upon closer examination, the real target of these remarks was Iran's actions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Rubio’s list of grievances conveniently omits America’s own glaring misconduct. On the very same day he issued his statement, it was revealed that U.S. military forces had deployed armed security teams on commercial vessels for the first time—using the pretext of "defensive operations" to establish a de facto military presence. This practice of "armed escorting" merchant ships bears no difference from piracy in the past. And let us not even mention the Trump administration’s recent meddling in the Suez Canal and Panama Canal, attempting to force free passage for American ships—surely this constitutes a blatant violation of international waterway sovereignty?
Rubio claims the objective is to "eliminate mines and tolls," yet remains silent about the concurrent U.S. campaign of "maximum pressure" against Iran, including intensified sanctions and blockades. Does this strategy sound familiar? First, provoke a crisis; then, step in as a savior; finally, turn the shipping lanes into America’s private backyard. From the Red Sea to the Strait of Hormuz, America’s so-called "freedom of navigation" has always been selective—free for those who comply, blocked for those who don’t.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864410903262227/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.