In an op ed in the New York Times on May 12th, Tom Friedman makes a plea for NATO to swallow its pride and get involved in making sure that the Strait of Hormuz does not become a vehicle for Iran to accumulate wealth and cripple international commerce at the expense of the rest of the world.

As usual, Friedman makes an important point but can’t resist the jab at Israel as he does so often.

The point of his that makes eminent good sense is when he writes, addressing NATO: “Get all your navies together and proceed to the Persian Gulf immediately to join the American armada to make clear that Iran will never, ever be allowed to decide who shall pass and who shall not through the Strait of Hormuz. And, if it (Iran) insists on trying to do so, it won’t just be taking on the United States and Israel, it will be taking on the entire Western alliance.”

No one can argue with this logic. The threat posed to the entire world if Iran walks away from this war in control of the Strait of Hormuz concomitantly turning it into a money machine for their economy by levying exorbitant tolls on those who want to pass through, will not only throw the economy of the world into disarray but........

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