Nasser, the Straits of Tiran, and the Suez Crisis: Correcting the Timeline

The premise contains a critical error: Gamal Abdel Nasser did not blockade Israeli shipping in 1952. In 1952, Nasser was a leader of the Free Officers movement that overthrew King Farouk; he became Prime Minister in 1954 and President in 1956.

The Actual Sequence (1956 Suez Crisis)

1. July 26, 1956: Nasser nationalizes the Suez Canal Company (majority British/French owned), sparking international crisis.
2. October 1956: Egypt blockades the Straits of Tiran (entry to Gulf of Aqaba/Eilat), preventing Israeli and Israeli-bound shipping from reaching the Red Sea. This violated the 1949 Armistice and 1956 Constantinople Convention.
3. October 29 – November 7, 1956: Israel invades Sinai (Operation Kadesh); Britain and France issue ultimatum, then bomb/invade (Operation Musketeer) ostensibly to separate combatants but actually to seize the canal.
4. November 1956: Under intense US, USSR, and UN pressure, invaders withdraw. UNEF deployed. Egypt retains canal; blockade lifted 1957.

Motivations for the 1956 Blockade

• Retaliation for nationalization backlash.
• Solidarity with Arab states against Israel.
• Leverage in Cold War positioning (courting Soviet support).
• Domestic politics: Pan-Arab nationalism, anti-imperialism.

The 1956 blockade was a pivotal escalation in the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Cold War in the Middle East. The 1952 date is incorrect.