Make Iranian Attacks Costly to Discourage More of Them

Yesterday, two more tankers were attacked in the Persian Gulf. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo quickly confirmed that the perpetrator was the region’s most dangerous regime: the mullah-ocracy of Iran.

Mr. Pompeo cited intelligence about the types of weapons used, the pattern of previous attacks on shipping in the Gulf and the absence of other militaries in the area with the requisite training and capabilities. In addition, there is what amounts to a smoking gun: U.S. Central Command has released a video showing an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ patrol boat removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the stricken ships.

If we want to discourage more of such aggression, the Iranian regime must understand that there is a cost to engaging in it. Time to dust off and exercise longstanding Pentagon contingency plans for stealthily degrading Iran’s oil exporting capabilities.