Tensions
between Iran and the U.S. rose Wednesday as the U.S. Navy warned it
would prevent any attempt to close the strategic Strait of
Hormuz, as Iranian officials threatened to do in response to
imposing sanctions on its oil exports.
A significant supply of the world's energy -- about 15 million barrels of oil
per day -- passes through the strait, a narrow passage that connects the
Persian Gulf to the Gulf
of Oman. A disruption of
that flow would send the price of oil higher in an already fragile global
economy.
Several Iranian officials over the past week commented on Iran's
capability and willingness to choke off the strait if the West embargoes
Iranian oil or takes any other hostile action.
Iranian Navy Admiral Habibollah Sayyari repeated Wednesday that it would be
"very easy" for the country's naval forces to shut down the strait. Iran is conducting a 10-day naval exercise in
and around the Persian Gulf.
A day earlier, first Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi, said in a speech to
Iranian students that "not even a drop of oil will flow through the
Persian Gulf" if Iran's
oil is embargoed.
"If our enemies in the West start conspiring against us, we'll take strong
action to put them in their place," he added.
The U.S., the European Union
and key Arab states have intensified discussions in recent weeks about the
possibility of imposing an embargo on oil purchases from Iran. The EU is
currently deliberating laws blocking such purchases from the country.
President Barack Obama is expected to sign in the coming weeks new legislation
preventing any business dealings with Iran's
Central Bank, through which Tehran
executes most of its oil sales. Congress passed the restrictions Dec. 15 as
part of a bill authorizing more than $660 billion in defense spending over the
next year.
Iran, the fourth-largest
producer of crude oil in the world, has previously threatened to close the
strait, both during the Iran-Iraq
war in the 1980s and after the U.S.
invaded Iraq
in 2005. It has never carried out the threat.
Analysts say it is highly unlikely that Iran
would attempt to close the strait because of the dire impact it would have on Iran's own
economy -- from both import and export disruptions. The recent rhetoric stems
from Iran's
leadership feeling pressured by debates on international sanctions and by a
weak economy, and wanting to appear powerful in the eyes of the world, analysts
say.
"It's an empty threat that would backfire. It would devastate the economy
of Iran even if they tried
it for a very brief period," said Paul Sullivan, an expert in energy and
the Middle East at GeorgetownUniversity in Washington.
U.S.
officials said that they don't necessarily consider the most recent threats
more serious than previous ones, but that they were highly provocative.
"Any attempt to close the strait will not be tolerated," said George
Little, the Pentagon press secretary, on Wednesday. "The strait is an
economic lifeline for countries in the gulf, including Iran."
Brent crude Wednesday fell nearly $1.50 to $106.83 a barrel, its lowest level in
a week, in the hour after the Fifth Fleet said it wouldn't allow a disruption.