The Strait of Hormuz is Not Closed, But Iran Now Controls It
90 friendly oil tankers and cargo ships counted
Dimitri Lascaris is a Canadian lawyer, journalist, and activist whose Substack I follow mainly for news about Canada and Palestine.
Two days ago, he was touring the Strait of Hormuz in a boat, reporting on what he saw.
I started the video at ~7:50, when they were already out to sea. Rewind to see the opening. (link)
90 oil tankers and cargo ships
The weather was sunny and beautiful. Dimitri counted about 90 oil tankers and cargo ships, demonstrating the relative normality of “friendly” boat traffic in the gulf.1
The Strait is only Closed to Hostile Nations who don’t use the Chinese Yuan
I wouldn’t be surprised if many Americans believe that the Strait is closed, but in fact it is only closed to ships from what Iran considers hostile countries. Iran is collecting a $2 million toll per ship, which amounts to about $1-2 /barrel of oil for a large tanker. (source?)
Iran is asking for reparations for the recent attack and charging this toll is one way Iran can raise money for reconstruction, whether granted reparations or not.
In an earlier post I reported that Iran has offered to let tankers from "hostile” countries also pass, provided they pay the toll and trade their oil in Chinese Yuan, a move that erodes the strength of the petrodollar.
Comments: Self-Censorship?
I suspect that many establishment media outlets haven’t reported on the petrodollar situation and the activity at the Strait because it would inevitably raise questions that the establishment doesn’t want explored. Do you disagree?
Post your response in the comments on what you’ve seen establisment media report about the petrodollar and whether the strait is closed.
Do you believe that establishment media self-censors and would do so in a case like this?
To truly demonstrate “normality”, one would have to know what level of ship traffic is otherwise typical.