Ship-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press showed the Marshall Islands-flagged Suez Rajan began the hourslong ship-to-ship transfer of its oil to another tanker, the MR Euphrates, near Galveston, some 70 kilometers (45 miles) southeast of Houston. …

Already, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has warned that those involved in offloading the Suez Rajan’s cargo “should expect to be struck back.” The U.S. Navy has increased its presence steadily in recent weeks in the Mideast, sending the troop-and-aircraft-carrying USS Bataan through the Strait of Hormuz in recent days and considering putting armed personnel on commercial ships traveling through the strait to stop Iran from seizing additional ships.

[To paraphrase Rick from “Casablanca”: There are some parts of Texas that I would advise Iran not to invade. Like, say, all of it. More seriously, we can expect an escalation, and one has to wonder whether this might put an end to Joe Biden’s planned ransom payment of $6 billion for American hostages in Tehran. — Ed]