Strait of Hormuz
The Strait of Hormuz (red arrow) relative to the Arabian Peninsula and Persian Gulf. [1]
A military personnel participates in the Velayat-90 war game on Sea of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz in southern Iran December 28, 2011. [2]
Iran’s Navy Commander Admiral Habibollah Sayari points at a map during a press conference in Tehran on December 22, 2010, as saying that Iran will launch 10 days of naval drills from December 24, covering east of Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman to the Gulf of Aden. [3]
Since it doesn’t have nuclear weapons yet, Iran is playing the lone trump card in its hand: threatening to shut down the Strait of Hormuz through which Persian Gulf oil flows to fuel much of the world’s economy. [4]
Video: Iran’s navy chief is warning that his country can easily close the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf if Western nations go ahead with sanctions, responding to Iran’s nuclear program. [5]
Like many marine chokepoints, the Strait of Hormuz has long commanded the attention of empires and their navies. [6]
, a George Washington University professor who has written about the Strait of Hormuz. [7]
The U.S. strongly warned Iran on Wednesday against closing a vital Persian Gulf waterway that carries one-sixth of the world’s oil supply, after Iran threatened to choke off traffic through the Strait of Hormuz if Washington imposes sanctions targeting the country’s crude exports. [8]
Tehran’s threat to block traffic through the crucial passage for Middle Eastern crude suppliers followed the European Union’s decision to tighten sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, as well as accompanying moves by the United States to tighten unilateral sanctions. [2]
Iran’s threat followed European Union foreign ministers’ decision to tighten sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program and leave the door open to the possibility of an oil embargo, and moves by the United States to expand sanctions as well. [7]
Sources:
[1] Strait of Hormuz - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[2] Iran warns U.S. over Strait of Hormuz | Reuters
[3] Iran: Strait Of Hormuz, Key Oil Supply Route, Easily Closed
[4] Can Iran Close the Strait of Hormuz? | Battleland | TIME.com
[5] Iran unlikely to block oil shipments through Strait of Hormuz …
[6] Analysis: Saber-rattling in Strait of Hormuz - CNN.com
[7] Closing Strait of Hormuz not so easy for Iran: analysts - Yahoo! News
[8] Strait of Hormuz Topics Page - USATODAY.com