Putting aside the condescending tone, I have considered all of the above and more. Oil is a global commodity. It is fungible. Even if the US attains energy independence, the demand for oil will continue and probably increase as the world's population grows from the current 7 billion to 9 billion. There will be no problem in selling oil although the price will be volatile placing economies that depend on oil exports in an exposed position as they ride the roller coaster of fluctuating prices and revenue.
If they ever tried to close the Gulf it would mark the beginning of the end of the bizarre mullah regime.
It is not a matter of closing it, but controlling it. We don't want Iran in that position. OPEC has tried to manage the price of oil by controlling the supply. Curtailing exports decreases the supply and raises the price. US energy independence makes that more difficult.
There will never again be a 1974 type oil embargo. Even our bitterest enemies such as Venezuela beat a path to our doors to sell their oil for the hard currency they desperately need.
As mentioned, OPEC has less control over supply as the cartel's ability to do so has waned for various reasons. The Russians are very dependent upon oil revenues. Whether the various non-OPEC oil exporters can make some arrangements with OPEC to control the price of oil remains problematic.
Iran, like most of the predominantly Muslim countries will eventually collapse and transform.
Most of the predominantly Muslim countries in the world are not oil exporters. And those that are will not collapse and transform. You are living in a fantasy world if you believe that to be the case. I have lived a total of nine years in three predominantly Muslim countries. Over the years, the fundamentalists have become more and more in control. Any imagined economic collapse will not impact deeply held religious beliefs and result in some magical transformation of the culture. The overwhelming majority of muslim countries are poor to begin with.
Islamic culture is simply not compatible with the values ,institutions and practices of the modern world that the vast majority of rational people covet. It is the reason most of the Mideast is chaotically violent or inherently unstable. It is also why people are voting with their feet and seeking solace in the lands formerly known as Christendom. Try to comprehend the real situation and be a bit more judicious before you advocate the US being involved in yet more foreign entanglements and quagmires. Reflect carefully on what has happened over the last ten years.
LOL. You haven't a clue. I am the one who has and is living in reality while you are in some sort of fantasy world. What exactly are you basing your opinions on?
On what am I basing my opinions? Try history( recent and ancient) current events and an analysis of outcomes of the past sixty years of American involvement in the region. Suffice to say that your position can be characterized as neo con and mine as an American first isolationism. No doubt you cheered loudly when GW Bush invaded Iraq. I didn’t. The things I wrote and said then were not much different than what Congressman Ron Paul was saying from the floor of the House. If you read his speeches , say what you like about him ( and I don’t agree with him on many issues) but he was remarkably prescient and correct in his analysis. It was indeed a quagmire. It did not stabilize the region, thousands of brave young Americans were killed, horribly maimed and psychologically ruined. Their sacrifices did not enhance American security. The cost in treasure led to severe strains and recession in the US economy and led to the disastrous election of Barack Obama. The world has changed, Islamic culture is not compatible with modernity and not sustainable . American interventions have been costly and largely futile. You ought to think very carefully before you endorse another American intervention in that volatile, rapidly changing region. BTW perhaps you can explain why you define the vile House of Saud, supporters and protectors of the Wahhabi, originators of 9/11 as our “ally”.