The feeling is one of déjà vu. Analysts and naval historians have a clear and strange sense of 'been there, done that', and it was neither easy nor did it go very well. 40 years ago, first Russia and then the US decided to proceed with escorting tankers for their allies in the Persian Gulf. It went down in history books as the Tanker War of the 80s and provides lessons on how, in this war, things can go wrong quickly, unexpectedly, and with deadly consequences.