‘An admirable success’: Congress reflects on ‘Suez crisis’ amid Strait of Hormuz blockade, VK Krishna Menon revisits it

New Delhi: As the world grapples with the Strait of Hormuz crisis, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday compared it with the 1956 Suez Canal crisis and highlighted the central role played by India’s then UN envoy VK Krishna Menon in diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue.Menon later served as India’s defense minister but resigned after the defeat in the 1962 China War.“The world is grappling with the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. Seventy years ago, it faced the so-called Suez crisis,” Ramesh posted on X.“On July 26, 1956, Egyptian President Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal. This caused a huge stir in the West and clouds of war loomed. The central figure in the diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis was none other than VK Krishna Menon. He achieved admirable success, but only for a while,” he added.Ramesh recalled that Britain, France and Israel launched an invasion of Egypt on October 29 but had to abort it within days after an “angry” US President Dwight Eisenhower intervened.“The irony is that three years ago this is the man who approved a joint U.S.-British campaign to overthrow Iran’s democratically elected prime minister, Mohammad Mossadegh, who nationalized Iran’s oil industry,” the congressman said of Eisenhower.After the cessation of the Egyptian invasion, UN emergency forces remained stationed on the Sinai-Gaza border until early June 1967. “This force consisted of ten countries including India and was active till 1967. Its commander from December 1959 to January 1964 was Lieutenant General PS Gyani and from January 1966 to June 1967 it was led by Major General Inder Jit Rkye,” he said.He further pointed out that Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru himself had addressed an Indian contingent in the Gaza Strip on May 20, 1960. After the withdrawal of the United Nations emergency forces, a six-day war began.Ramesh also shared pictures of Menon with Nasser, Anthony Eden and Selwyn Lloyd in an intense diplomatic effort.These memories come as the world grapples with the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. Worried about the global energy crunch, only a handful of ships pass through the vital waterway, through which 20% of the world’s oil is typically transported. Iran’s attacks on merchant ships have slowed shipping and sent oil prices sharply higher, forcing Washington to take action to ease pressure on consumers and the global economy.Iran effectively blocked the waterway in retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli attacks that sparked the current Middle East crisis.