Gogarty wrote in news:

The US may not stop a foreign flag vessel in international waters unless
it has the permission of the government whose flag it is. But like so
much else these days, that's a mere technicality to be brushed aside.
Too many governmenst routinely grant blanket authority. Can you imagine
the uproasr if Iran started stopping US flag vessels in the Persian
Gulf?


EG First you'd have to find a vessel (other than Navy) in the Persian
Gulf with a US flag, then you'd have to find one that wasn't under US
government charter.