At the Unz Review, Ron Unz explains that the Trump blockade  of the Persian Gulf, if enforced, is “an obvious act of war” against China. He discusses events after the failure of the peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, writing:

Meanwhile, the most substantive outcome of these failed talks was Trump’s announcement that he would impose his own blockade on the Persian Gulf, ordering his navy to seize all oil tankers that pass the Strait of Hormuz in order to eliminate Iranian oil revenues. Given the dangers of Iranian missiles, our warships will probably be forced to remain far from the Iranian shore and seize these vessels on the high seas, constituting blatant acts of illegal piracy. And even if successful, such a measure would remove at least 1.5 million barrels of oil per day from the international markets, thereby greatly driving up prices. Indeed, this was the exact reason that just last month America had suddenly lifted all sanctions on Iranian oil, allowing it to be easily sold internationally, but the Trump Administration is hardly notorious for its logical consistency.

China currently buys some 90% of Iranian oil and large quantities from the other Persian Gulf states, and by seizing China-bound tankers in international waters, Trump’s new action amounted to imposing an oil blockade against China, an obvious act of war. But two can play at the blockade game, and I wonder if Trump’s rash decision may finally prompt the notoriously cautious Chinese to retaliate with the sort of shrewd, calculated response that would force America into a rapid surrender, thereby putting an end to the dangerous Iran War before it further escalates.

Read more here.