cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/45812287
April 11, 2026
U.S. Navy ships sent an unmistakable signal Saturday as they crossed the Strait of Hormuz, challenging Iran’s control over the narrow waterway that will likely determine the outcome of the Middle East war.
The USS Michael Murphy turned on its automatic identification system as it and another destroyer, the USS Frank E. Peterson, transited the strait, breaking the typical protocol of Navy ships sailing with their AIS turned off.
“You just don’t throw AIS on by accident on a Navy ship,” Campbell University professor Salvatore Mercogliano, who specializes in military and maritime history, said on his podcast. “This is purposeful. They wanted to turn this on on the far side of the Strait of Hormuz to demonstrate that they have sailed through.”
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What’s awesome is that the US was using its own ships in hopes Iran would attack them so they could headline “US ships attacked during peace negotiations with Iran!”
Like they can form a narrative that they “win” here no matter which way it went down.
Iran doesn’t give a shit if your military does a joy ride through the strait. They are shutting down trade for US and US Ally oil - that’s the point. There is no reason to attack US military ships if it doesn’t offer a strategic advantage to do so.
But if you read the article, Iran did attack the ships (launched a drone at them).
Iran claims it launched a drone at them - they also claim they turned the ships back despite the evidence to the contrary (I.e. two destroyers on the inside of the gulf that weren’t there before).
Figure it’s to get closer range detection of any launch sites/areas. If Iran responded it a gives out their locations, b makes them look worse on the world stage and c it shows others that it isn’t a threat to sail through, all the while actually being one
This is not diplomacy, this is elementary school yard bully posturing for your lunch money.
Everyone knows that, but no country cares. Not China, not Russia, not the U.S., the U.K, and the U.N as a whole says it’s fine. Top trading patterns of Israel go #1 China, #2 U.S. and everyone cowers and lets it happen because they let it happen. If either cared, they’d stop all trade and Israel would be forced to stop
France has some good ideas.
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Israel is fucking terrible, but it’s the same playbook in Russia, and the Trump advisors have picked up on it. Trump is a sock, he couldn’t complete a wordle
An AWACS aircraft would be better suited to that job though.
Oh, right.
According to the article, the ships turned their AIS on before reaching the straight and didn’t actually transit through the gap. Its posturing yes, but it’s them testing the resolve of the ceasefire not them successfully bullying their way through.
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No, they turned their AIS on on the far side of the strait to prove they’d transited, they left AIS off while they transited, presumably so as not to give Iran an easy shot if they decided to attack.
Iran claimed (on state media i.e. likely for internal consumption) they successfully turned back the destroyers but the AIS track on the inside of the gulf would seem to bring that claim into question.