Subject: Re: The US used its own 'Dark Fleet'
Who claimed the Strait was open? No one did.

You said, "The media and this board declared operation Freedom or whatever it was called a failure before it started. Looks like it wasn't...." But the purpose of Operation Project Freedom was to open the Strait. You claimed it wasn't a failure. But if it wasn't a failure, the Strait would be open - or at least substantially open. But it is not. Which means that you're wrong when you say "Looks like it wasn't." It absolutely was.

I think that remains to be seen. Why not let it play out?

You can let it play out (assuming there's no deal), but that doesn't change your incorrect statement that it looks like Operation Project Freedom wasn't a failure. It certainly has failed so far. If you want to suggest there's a chance it might succeed in the future, even though it has failed for nearly a month, you're of course free to do that. But it doesn't make it correct to say that today it looks like it wasn't a failure.

No kidding. Which is why I've pointed out a half dozen times now that we've never tried to force our way through the strait.

But that's why I keep pointing out to you that forcing our way through the strait isn't the relevant operation. We can't restore commercial traffic by forcing our way through the strait. We have to seize the Iranian coastline with ground troops. Forcing our way through the strait is irrelevant.

Now - it is certainly also correct to say that we've never tried to seize the Iranian coastline with ground troops. But "force our way through the strait" sounds like something we might do. "Seize the Iranian coastline with ground troops" is something that's almost certainly not going to be attempted. You keep saying the former, even though the latter is what would have to happen. By referring to "forcing our way through the strait," that framing makes it seem like the Strait being closed is something we might change with a future action that we might take. That's wrong. Forcing our way through the Strait doesn't open the Strait for merchant commerce. Only seizing the coastline with ground troops does.