I realize what it entails but maybe it’s time to call their bluff and let the chips fall. Iran is way past due to be taken down a notch.
Here’s a thought:
We import about 10 - 11 million barrels of oil a day.
The Alaska pipeline has 1 million barrels per day unused capacity and ANWR is 75 miles from the pipeline. Keystone II would provide about 800,000 barrels of oil per day.
Issue pending permits in the Gulf of Mexico could produce an additional 1 million barrels per day. All of this capcity is easier to defend thean the straits of Hormuz and closer to home.
Add to that increased use of natural gas, recoverd through fracking, and we can drop our imports by 4 - 5 million barrels per day, create about 500,000 high paid jobs and reduce our trade deficit by $140 billion per year.