Iran never had the right to close the strait or attack neutral merchant ships exercising their right of innocent passage in the first place, regardless of anything that Israel or Lebanon does. The MOU doesn't change that.

▲

gizzlon 8 hours ago | parent [-]

The US and Israel never had the right to attack Iran in the first place

▲

nradov 6 hours ago | parent [-]

That's a non sequitur. What's your point?

▲

fc417fc802 4 hours ago | parent [-]

It's not at all. Who is dictating who has what rights? Each side took action against the other's interests. Each claims the other is in the wrong.

Claiming that a country can't exercise military control over its territorial waters seems like a legal or political fiction to me. Granted they share part of the waterway with their neighbors but expecting a country at war to honor such things also seems like wild fantasy to me. They've been bombing those same neighbors.

▲

nradov 3 hours ago | parent [-]

You appear to be confused about maritime law. Iran hasn't ratified the UNCLOS or agreed to follow its terms so their territorial waters extend only 3 NM from their shores. Iran has been attacking neutral vessels well outside that limit.

Of course in the real world law takes a back seat to force.

	▲	fc417fc802 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Was the swipe suggesting that I'm confused (I'm not) really necessary? > their territorial waters extend only 3 NM from their shores Do you suppose their current government would agree with that statement? Personally I rather doubt they would. But even if they did, as you say law often takes a back seat to force in these matters meaning that they could just as well say "yeah you're right but we're at war so get bent".