GPS Jamming-Spoofing and Strait of Hormuz

According to the Automatic Identification System (AIS) monitoring site for shipping only four vessels have transitioned through the Strait of Hormuz within the past twenty-four hours. The site is run from California USA, so is likely unreliable, especially when American GPS (US Global Positioning) is consistently being jammed and spoofed throughout the entire region.

Complicating navigation and positioning technology is the US proxy war versus Russia, which has (at times) resulted in jamming of Europe’s Galileo GNSS system, in conjunction with US GPS jamming. (US GPS is operated by the US military.) Russia relies on its own GLONASS positioning system, while China uses the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS).

The fact that western positioning infrastructure has effectively been sabotaged is seldom broadcast about in the west. And even though jamming of US GPS / EU GNSS positioning systems is a big deal, media focus is on the diatribe and delusional ranting and posturing favored by Washington (to protect its markets) rather than focusing on practical pragmatic issues.

The lack of attention in the west regarding GPS jamming may also be due to a resultant limited impact on western markets. The punters are less likely to give a hoot about GPS jamming when US and EU fuel prices have just about doubled, which must eventually result in very high inflation rates going forward.

Technology (still being developed) to prevent GPS jamming may be achieved by imaginative use of Starlink; and AI tech to separate and filter interference signals (AI filtering) also exists. Tech is developing infrared-laser signal methods and equipment to circumvent GPS jamming, thus we already experience the stars wars era. But hardened GPS equipment is very costly for transport carriers to employ — especially when other costs accelerate.

According to the western press, vessels in the region of the Strait are routinely using dead-reckoning and manual transit plotting now (sometimes with radar, ie old school methods) for positioning and navigation. No mention is made whether tanker and bulk carrier companies will switch (primarily) from GPS to the BDS (China) positioning system, or GLONASS. That of course depends upon the vessel owner, carrier, and future agenda in an uncertain world.

Persian Gulf Blockage

A shufti at the interactive map [Link: https://www.vesselfinder.com/ ] shows vessels heading more northerly through the Strait than usual, close to Qeshm Island. It’s a new traffic pattern established by Iran since traditional traffic flow lanes in the Strait may have been mined. Meaning that any ship traversing the Strait of Hormuz must do so with the aid and permission of Iran’s governmental edict.

Vessels destined for the Vile Empire through the Strait – ie to the United States, Israel, EU, and UK – may not traverse it. But based on the transit map, it appears that Egypt, China, United Arab Emirates and Oman are working closely with Iran, to ensure that only limited trade impact is experienced with respect to the Gulf states. [1]

Bin Zayed’s UAE will never miss an arbitrage opportunity or dodgy deal, so the US-Israeli war on Iran has opened a whole new realm of criminality – er, opportunity – to the Gulf Sheikhs. And much noise exists in the western media too about Iran raking in impressive amounts in fees from passing ships; however this is, evidently, statecraft-inspired media propaganda. [2]

A note regarding oil products: Refineries throughout the world refine varying types of crude oil depending on the location and refinery type. Some types of crude may be incompatible with other types in terms of oil product output at any given refinery. So, any halt or blockage of supply will create complex issues impacting all regions of the world in differing and complex ways. Whether Trump was advised by any means of this complexity (in the oil refining business and carrier delivery) is of course unknown, and unlikely.

It is known that the US has made a great fortune from Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) by forcing Europe to end oil and gas imports from Russia, and building infrastructure so that Europe may accept very expensive US and Qatari LNG. That the Europeans are forced to accept these conditions and pay tribute demanded of it willingly, boggles the mind. The recent attacks on Qatar’s LNG infrastructure have exacerbated the shortage for Europe, but Washington is pleased that more vassal states will now pay a much greater amount for LNG, in tribute to the US.

[1] Meaning transit all along the Gulf from Egypt to China. Recall that when Iran defends itself versus US bases in the region, Iran is targeting those US bases / installations only, with no intent to harm the indigenous populace there.

[2] Iran has turned the ‘fees’ nonsense on its head to further mock the western media.

Steve Brown