Multiple examples where US freedom of navigation rights are threatened by its non-party status to UNCLOS

U.S. navigation on the high seas is affected by its non-ratification of UNCLOS III. For example, if a U.S. naval task force had to rush from the Persian Gulf to a crisis along the North Korean peninsula, it could be forced to detour 3,000 miles around Indonesia.²³⁴ Another example is the barring of U.S. tankers from the Strait of Hormuz-the strait in which most American foreign oil is shipped-by Iran.²³⁵ Finally, Russia could institute fishing trawlers off the coast of Alaska that would take millions of tons of salmon found in American waters.²³⁶ None of these things would be possible if the United States ratifies UNCLOS III. UNCLOS III may aid the United States in ensuring that the naval ships and submarines can navigate freely along the high seas, that cargo ships and tankers may navigate along the world's sea lanes, and that the United States retains control over the resources found in the deep sea.²³⁷ As long as the United States remains a nonparty, it will not be able to rely on the protections provided by UNCLOS III.