Posted on 12/28/2011 6:13:57 PM PST by jazusamo
The mullahs are playing with fire in Strait of Hormuz
The leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran continue to rattle their scimitars, threatening a crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. Bring it on.
Iran is under increasing pressure to abandon its nuclear program. The United States is about to ban commerce with Iran's central bank. The European Union is considering a new round of economic sanctions and joining the U.S. oil embargo against Iran. Saudi Arabia has decided to increase production to fill the gap should Europeans stop buying Iranian oil.
In response, Tehran is threatening to stop all Persian Gulf oil shipments. “If they impose sanctions on Iran’s oil exports,” Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi said Tuesday, “then even one drop of oil cannot flow from the Strait of Hormuz.” On Wednesday, Iran’s top sailor, Adm. Habibollah Sayyari, said his country “has comprehensive control” over the strait and it would be “easier than drinking a glass of water” to close it to shipping. His forces are currently in the midst of a 10-day military exercise - called Velayat-e 90 (Supremacy 90) - to test capabilities and requirements for such an access-denial operation. About 17 percent of the world’s imported oil - a third of oil transported by sea - goes through this strategic chokepoint.
Iran’s threat makes no economic sense. Closing the strait would shut off Iran’s main source of income and deny its people necessary imports such as gasoline, food and consumer goods. The hardships of a closure would fall mainly on the Islamic regime as the rest of the world adjusted to the temporary and relatively minor oil shortage.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
I’ll be waiting for the Paultard cultists to come along and tell us that THE WASHINGTON TIMES isn’t a conservative paper.
With any other President, this might be a serious warning. With Obama, the only thing Iran has to fear is another round of bowing and apologizing.
I fear you may be right. The only thing that may be to our advantage is the upcoming election.
I guess if those Mullah’s want some “shock and awe”, I’m sure the 5th Fleet is quite capable of delivering it.
The U. S. may have judged it wise to not confront Iran for training, arming, and sending terrorists into Iraq. It will not judge it wise to watch it close off the Gulf of Hormuz.
Europe will not stand by and watch Iran do this, without backing U. S. action.
Iran is playing right to the U. S. hawk’s strength here.
This will give th U. S. a green light to take down Iran’s nuclear program.
Happy New Year.
Hopefully you are right and I believe you may very well be.
Iran’s sword rattling has gone on way too long and their nuclear program has got to be stopped.
Happy New Year to you and yours.
Dictatorships have NO problem letting people do without - keeps them under the boot and grateful...look at North Korea - they starve them to death there - and watch the weeping for a monster's death.
It's opposite in a democracy - mess with the people too much and they'll vote the bums out...
...I find your post interesting because I believe that if Congress authorizes war we should go all out instead of tiptoeing through the poppies, so to speak.
Our military has already targeted sites, tracked a pinpointed their navy ships, and the only thing missing, if the try to close the area is the go ahead from sissy boy wimpy mac daddy.
What they’ll say is us blocking Iran’s trade is an act of war that Iran responding to that is their right.
And they’d be right.
The problem is, they don’t believe Iran deserves having their trade blocked - I do.
Ever the eternal optimist (most of the time), I hope we’re both right.
Take care. Happy New Year to you and yours also.
Thanks.
The key word is “some.” The sum of the number that are Run Paul supporters yet who don’t agree with his foreign policy positions is, it seems, rather small. Then you wrote, “Tell me, do you stereotype everyone that doesn’t agree with your superior view? Or could it be you blindly follow someone you’ve raised up to be god?” I really think the last sentence is inscrutable. Is English your first language?
It’s really Obama’s moment of Truth....
I hope Obama knows what he is doing. It can’t be like his Drone moment. Can I have my Drone back. Pretty Please!
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