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The Iranians have now made a point of showing the British and the world that they have the same capabilities as the old imperial power, and that they were not afraid to use them. Based on their own diminished capabilities, the British have few good alternatives short of outright capitulation, meaning any military response to the hijacking of their ship would, perforce, involve the United States.

Americans might justifiably ask what does the hijacking of a Panamanian-flagged vessel operating out of the UAE and the British seizure of an Iranian vessel operating in violation of international sanctions have to do with us? The answer is that President Trump has approved an operation in which U.S. warships act as sentinels at the entrance to the Persian Gulf.