Foreign secretary chairs Cobra meeting after British oil tanker is seized by Iran

The government’s emergency committee met yesterday evening after a British flagged tanker was captured by Iran in the strait of Hormuz as a government spokesperson confirms a Commons statement is to be made later today.

The Stena Impero was seized by Iran late last night.

June 19th, 2019



This date, in the future, could be remembered either in infamy as the start of a great war against Iran, or remembered as an inconsequential part of the 21st century. Why? To all our flushed viewers who are blue in the face because they have not been able to keep up with the rapid pace of events, have no fear! In this article, we at the Guardian intend to provide you with all the information you need to understand this topic, and by the end, enable you to answer this crucial question for yourself.



To understand this issue, one which has been unfolding over many years, we must start at the birth of modern Iran. For decades after the creation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, grievances between the Islamic state and its western counterparts were nursed into great heights. For many Iranian officials, a major feeling of inferiority was bred by their lack of a nuclear weapon, compared to western powers such as the United States. To resolve this deficiency, the Iranian president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei kickstarted a major drive for nuclear research and activities in the 1990s. These efforts continued to escalate, as Iran went into heavy-water research, and foreign authorities began to notice.



In 2005, the US National Intelligence Estimate stated that Iran was ten years from making a nuclear weapon, a major announcement that sparked worry across the western world about an unassailable authoritarian regime. For the next several years, already simmering tensions seemed to reach a breaking point, as new sanctions from the west led to more nuclear activity from Iran. Ultimately, something had to be done to avert the worst potential scenarios. The Obama administration, sensing that a deal was needed to avert a geopolitical calamity, negotiated a deal with Iran, with the purpose of both reducing tensions, and preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb. Although this temporarily did reduce tensions between the two nations, it caused much internal strife within the United States, with the GOP angered over what they perceived as the deal being “too soft” on Iran. Indeed, the passage of the Iran nuclear deal could be stated as a major factor in the Republican wave of the 2014 election, where democrats were swept out in record numbers from the senate, house, various governorships, and state legislatures. This perceived “weakness” ultimately proved fatal to the Iran deal, because by virtue of partisan opinions on the deal, the next administration would take a polar opposite stance to this issue



After Trump’s election to the highest office of the land, the GOP’s immense opposition to the Iran deal could finally come into form. Trump’s frequent claims to be a great negotiator, referencing his bestseller “The Art of the Deal”, was used in many contexts, especially with regards to the Iran Deal. Calling it “A failure” that was a result of “*[our]politicians having no idea what they’re doing” remade the Iran deal into a populist and partisan issue within the United States. Therefore, bending to the GOP’s line on being tougher on Iran, the new administration eventually withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal and began re-stating sanctions that the agreement had removed. This was followed by the withdrawal of Germany and France. The uproar from Iranian officials led, once again, to more hostile tensions and threats from the Iranian government that they would walk back fully from the conditions of the agreement..



However, such threats merely provoked increased sanctions from the White House, thus leading to a vicious cycle wherein both sides’ hatred for one another fueled the others’ hatred. This has led to a new toxic geopolitical environment, with the United States and other western countries altering air routes to avoid Iran following the downing of a US drone. However, rather than de-escalation, the situation got far, far worse, and this time, the focus shifted to the United Kingdom.



July 19th began as an ordinary day for most people across the world. But not for the crew of the Stena Impero.As they drove north towards Iranian waters, the ship’s owners reported to UK authorities that their ship, and its 25 member crew, had gone missing. Hours later, Iranian television had confirmed that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had captured the ship. Immediately, there was apprehension and anger, with the United Kingdom government seeking options, both diplomatic and military. A COBRA meeting was called, with the intent of informing the cabinet on the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. To add to the confusion, just that day former Prime Minister DrCeaserMD was appointed foreign secretary, meaning his first task after his promotion will likely involve excruciating choices, even for an ex-occupant of No 10.



To this end, a government spokesperson said last night that “Cobra…[had] met to review the situation and what we can do to secure the quick release of the crew and vessels”. The government spokesperson also mentioned that they were discussing the issue with the leaders of other nations to formulate an international response “as international partners to prevent the situation escalating unnecessarily”. The government has also revealed a commitment to increasing the military spending target to 2.1 percent of GDP in the budget. The spokesperson announced just after midnight that Cobra had adjourned for the evening. The meeting was chaired by the new foreign secretary and attended, according to the government, by “15 people at its max: some taking notes, some advising,” including the leadership of both governing parties, and Home Secretary cthulhuiscool2.



The government’s response so far seems to indicate a preference for caution and a desire for a diplomatic rather than military action. In particular, the government spokesperson’s statement that they would be working together with allies of the United Kingdom to formulate a response indicates that the cabinet is reluctant to take unilateral decisions, and would rather base its reaction off of what the international consensus is. However, this story isn’t finished. Following the COBRA meeting, the government spokesperson has stated there would be numerous briefings to the press on the issue, and just hours ago, the UK Defence Journal tweeted out that “Iranian Air Force reportedly claims that it has the capability to shoot down a U-2”. This situation is one that will continue to unfold in the next couple of days, which could have major consequences for how the middle east, and the world, operate for the coming decades.

