Posted on 01/24/2006 5:58:58 AM PST by Esther Ruth
Last update - 09:26 24/01/2006
Iranian official: UN sanctions may lead us to seal off Persian Gulf
By Yossi Melman, Haaretz Correspondent
A senior Iranian official threatened that Tehran may forcibly prevent oil export via the Straits of Hormuz if the UN imposed economic sanctions due to Iran's nuclear program, an Iranian news Web site said on Monday.
This is the first time an Iranian official makes military threats in a public statement on Tehran's recent disagreements with the West.
The news site, affiliated with the radical student movement in which President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was once a member, quoted Mohammed-Nabi Rudaki, deputy chairman of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission.
(Excerpt) Read more at haaretz.com ...
[It would give us an opening - and justification.]
Right. I'm thinking: how soon can we get them to try to this? Let's hurry and get the UN sanctions if we can. If not, hopefully there is another way to get them to "block the Straits of Hormuz".
BTW, the Iranians are talking about their silkworm positions on the long eastern coastline of the Persian Gulf and Hormuz. They are not talking about their tugboats and rubber duckies. So our boys of the deep will still have to sit this next war out.
Right.
Let's just get this over with.
The signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty have right to develop the civilian nuclear program including the enrichment of nuclear fuel.
[That would be the problem. If Iran declares the waters of the Gulf to be a "war Zone" then all bets are off for insurers of commercial shipping. A de facto barricade as effective as a physical one.]
With all due respect, this sounds like a DU posting. If Iran declared anywhere a war zone, it would give us the excuse we need to end their regime. One has to assume that Rummy has the entire war plan ready for "contingencies" like that. I don't think we are in a position where we don't want a conflict. If we could even stage one credibly, I think we would. Insurance companies would not have too much time to deny coverage to commercial shipping if Iran declared anywhere a war zone and then quickly lost all their silkworms and the eastern shores of the Persian gulf and oil producing regions to a northern alliance style of Iranian exiles dropped courtesy of the US Navy and Air Force.
Time to buy some oil futures
Iranian official: UN sanctions may lead us to seal off Persian Gulf
This news should boost $ per barrel in the oil futures market huh?
These nuts have gotta believe that the American left won't allow another war for oil. Why else would they think they could get away with these threats?
Hmm...maybe the Mullahs need pictures in order to understand...
See, Iran....THIS is your future...and it is one shared by each and every Islamazi!
And you owe it all to Islam! Congratulations! Your Death Cult has given you EVERYTHING it promised! Enjoy HELL!
Dear Iran - just an fyi - we live in a cause and effect world. Here are two examples of how that works. First, if you seal off the Persian gulf that will probably cause us to unseal it. Secondly, if you develop the A-bomb that will cause us to turn your cities into glass.
Rather amusing that the toughest talk we've heard towards Iran threatens to blockade THEM.
Now, here they are, threatening to blockade themselves.
They must feel confident in their allies, the Chinese and the Russians.
Why? Let's see......................
Most of the higher-ups in the iranian government realize that their "president" is a thug. So they encourage his dilusions and spoil for a fight with iran's "enemies."
They've learned from iraq and afganastan.
The US will swiftly topple iran's dictator, with the inside help of friendly iranian government officials, and set the stage for a massive infusion of US tax dollars. Reconstruction means spreading democracy, right?
Sweetheart deals for the exploitation of the iranian oil fields, spreading the love around to "foreign investors" of course, and a new move toward "democratic elections" which will assure those who assisted in the ousting of an "evil-doer" of a powerful government position and incredible wealth.
All this financed with US tax dollars and US oil consumption at $70 - $100 per barrel.
Nah, too far fetched. That's not even a plausible story. You're probably right, they're just plain nuts.
Why else would they think they could get away with these threats?
***
For such a time as this!
Last week there were several discussions on Iran and its capabilities. One freeper thought Iran would make the first move knowing that war was inevitable and block the Persian Gulf by taking out several huge oil tankers and mining the area thus block the shipping lanes cutting off the oil supply causing a world economic crisis.
If you know war is coming do you wait and let others win all the battles or do you cause as much damage as possible in hopes that others rise up and come to your aid (possible exciting other islamic countries to help because of your "victory" or perhaps one of those who will be desperately harmed by the loss of oil might be desperate enough to come to your aid)?
Seriously, other than their navy of Zodiacs with machine guns, does Iran posess a significant threat via air, missle and land based capabilities? Would we need to occupy Iranian territory on the easter side of the Straits of Hormuz?
Hurry up and get those carriers we saw yesterday refitted! Looks like they will have work to do.
You bring up a very good point. The Iranians need to pre-emptively seal the Persian Gulf. They need to cut oil supplies to the West for purely strategic reasons. Shutting down the Strait would also help to prevent a U.S. buildup of forces in Iraq for a land war. And it would help deny acces to the Gulf for carrier based operations. It would be in Iran's best interest to do this if they do intend on conflict. They will also need support from Russia on the north. Watch Russia very closely. If Russia blocks sanctions, or choses to ignore them, we may be facing Russia as an ally of Iran and then we are stalemated. Unless we want a confrontation with Russia. They are flexing their energy muscle with cut-off or reduces supply of natural gas to Europe and former Soviet satellites. I think Russia is serving notice to these countries. If they want energy, they do thins Russia's way. This easily could turn into a global conflict.
... If you know war is coming do you wait and let others win all the battles....
I would guess that only Saddam was that stupid. It's hard to believe that the next nutcase can be so stupid as not to have noticed what happened to Saddam.
If I was in charge of Iran, and absolutely felt the need to start a war, I'd activate the thousands of Hezbollah across the U.S. and get my Chinese friends firmly on the hook before I took any noticable action. That and double my payments to my favorite U.S. Senators and media allies.
A blockage at the Straits of Hormuz could suspend the flow of more than half of the world's oil to the international market place from the six Persian Gulf oil producers. The choke point, the Straits of Hormuz, seems reasonably wide in the map below, but the navigable channel is only a few miles wide. While that's too wide and deep to block with sunken vessels, it could be mined relatively easily. And there are types of mines that are difficult to either detect or clear. Needless to say, even a one month blockage could have catastrophic results on the world's economy.
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