Pentagon officials warned Wednesday that any action by Iran to seal off the Persian Gulf’s oil access through the Strait of Hormuz would be stopped by the U.S. Navy. George Little, spokesman for Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, said any attempts by Iran to interfere with the transit or passage of vessels through the strait, “will not be tolerated.”
He added, “The strait is important for security and stability in the region, and is also an economic lifeline for countries in the Gulf — to include Iran. The Iranians have the right to conduct naval exercises, and they do so on a regular basis. That being said, raising the temperature on tensions is unhelpful.”
The Pentagon was responding to statements by Iranian officials that the passageway might be closed in retaliation to U.S. sanctions against Iranian banks.
Adm. Habibollah Sayyari, head of Iran’s navy, said Wednesday, “Iran has comprehensive control over the strategic waterway” adding, it would be “very easy” for his nation to shut down the Strait of Hormuz. The strait, which is the gateway for a sixth of the world’s oil, has been the staging ground for Iran’s 10-day naval exercises this month.
Iranian Vice President Mohamed Reza Rahimi on Tuesday had vowed that his nation, which relies on oil exports for 80 percent of its revenue, would shut down the strait if the West follows through with strict financial sanctions passed this year by Congress.
The sanctions, aimed at halting Iran’s plans to obtain nuclear weapons, would impose strict regulations and penalties against Western companies dealing with the Iran Central Bank, which is used by most European and Asian countries that import Iranian oil. President Obama, who has not been fully supportive of the U.S. bill, has nonetheless said he will sign it.
Chinese and Russian officials have openly opposed the U.S. plans to sanction Iran’s bank. But the United States and its Western European and Israeli allies have become increasingly impatient with Iran’s lack of cooperation and continued pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Jim Phillips, senior defense analyst with the Heritage Foundation, said Iran’s posturing should be “taken with a grain of salt.”
Roughly 15 million barrels of oil pass through the strait daily. But on Wednesday Saudi Arabia vowed to make up any shortage of oil that resulted if Iran attempted to close the strait. Oil prices fell on U.S. markets after the Saudi announcement.
| Examiner Coverage |
|
|
“Iran itself would be a big loser if the Strait of Hormuz is closed because it has no alternative oil export routes, while Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait have backup pipelines to oil ports outside the Persian Gulf,” Phillips added. “The Tehran regime benefits by making such threats, which can drive up world oil prices and Iran’s oil export revenues while pressuring the European Union and other countries to back off sanctions.”
Mark Toner, spokesman for the U.S. State Department, told the Associated Press that Iran’s threats are “rhetoric … we’ve seen these kinds of comments before.”
Phillips said Iran had another motive in making the threats, to, “deter a preventative strike against its nuclear infrastructure by the U.S. or Israel.”
Sara A. Carter is The Washington Examiner’s national security correspondent. She can be reached at [email protected].
