Mines threaten U.S. policy

Press, 1 August 1987, Page 20

Mines threaten U.S. policy

The United States has got itself into a corner over its policy of escorting oil tankers through the Gulf. The Americans have mounted a formidable force with a capability to do almost everything except cope with mines at sea. Yet the biggest threat to tankers in the Gulf has turned out to be mines, which can be laid by craft as simple as a speedboat. The Bridgeton, a super tanker, whose former name as a Kuwaiti vessel was Al Rekkah, has a hole big enough to drive a truck into her because of a mine laid by an unknown country or organisation. Almost certainly, the mine was laid by Iran. The Bridgeton is going to be loaded with oil in spite of her damaged hull because not to do so would be to admit a failure in the policy of giving an American flag to ships, escorting them, and thereby attempting to ensure a safe passage through the Gulf for oil. The Bridgeton’s oil will then be transshipped to other tankers outside the Gulf.

With the benefit of hindsight it is easy to wonder why more attention was not given earlier to clearing mines. Most of the attacks on shipping in the Gulf have been from missiles and aircraft. The United States believed its forces were well equipped to deal with those. But the success of the Gulf mission has come to depend on being able to sweep mines from the sea-lanes into Kuwait. Much is at stake over the United States plan to ensure safe shipping. For the United States itself there is its own credibility as a great Power. Other countries might reflect that if the United States cannot undertake to get ships through a relatively restricted waterway, then who can? More than that: the supply of oil to many Western countries comes from the Gulf. That supply is increasingly at risk unless the Americans can prove their ability as escorts. The United States might have been foolish to undertake the scheme in the first place, without giving sufficient thought to the possibility of mining. It looks very much as if the hope was either to have sufficient

strength and technology to prevent any attack, or, if an attack were identified as coming from Iran, to have the capability to strike at the coast of Iran with the awesome might that the United States can muster. But it is hard to retaliate against anonymous mines.

The United States has already asked other countries, including Britain and West Germany, for assistance. West Germany has refused; no formal response has been given by Britain. Other countries face a dilemma. The United States did not rely on their approval for its policy of escorting ships through the Gulf, yet now no Western country would want the United States to be seen to fail. So the support of other countries will have to be given to the United States, without the opportunity to have much influence over a policy that has already been put into effect. The British may well feel compelled to give support by using minesweepers, but have reason to feel aggrieved that the plan was not discussed adequately at the beginning. The Iran-Iraq war has dragged on seemingly interminably, but has been confined, apart from attacks on shipping, to the territory of those countries. Kuwait now fears that it will be dragged into the war through an attack from Iran. Kuwait has turned to the United Nations to bring Iranian threats to international attention. Because it has also already turned to the United States for the protection of its tankers, any Iranian attack on Kuwait may draw a response from the United States. The British already have naval ships in the Gulf and the French are sending warships to the Gulf. The Soviet Union has suggested that all foreign naval ships should leave the Gulf, but the West is generally treating the suggestion with disdain. The Soviet Union may well be waiting for the United States to make a mistake so that Moscow is able to offer to escort ships and deliver the West’s oil, courtesy of the Soviet Union. All the elements are present for a significant military clash. Considering the damage done by one mine the potential for danger is immense.