It looks like the Iranians are pulling the same trick as Hezbollah by kidnapping those British sailors. They are testing the West just like how Hezbollah tested Israel. It seemed that Israel was embarrassed by attacking Lebanon with a half-measure and then getting all kinds of condemnation from the rest of the world. Now the Iranians are trying the same tactic to gauge how committed the US and Britain are to checking their hegemony of the Middle East.
It seems like a perfect plan because the Brits can't go to the military option because they slashed their navy to the bone. The US will look like they are expanding a war that they can barely run now. Our War Weariness score is through the roof already so Iran knows that they can dictate the tempo on this. They can withhold the troops and make the Brits go through all kinds of hoops to get them back. They make the Brits look foolish while the US looks on and will dare not do a thing.
The last bonus they get is as long as this standoff lasts oil prices will continue to climb. I bet they feel pretty good when their principal export can be manipulated so easily. All they have to do is kidnap some sailors, ratchet up the pressure, and then release the hostages when prices reach a certain level. That is why I keep saying we need an energy policy that totally frees us from needing Iranian oil ever again. They wouldn't dream of manipulating us so easily when we don't need anything from them. I think a sensible energy policy and a national security policy are one and the same.
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