http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/12/28/u-s-israel-discuss-triggers-for-bombing-iran-s-nuclear-infrastructure.html
TEHRAN – No oil will be permitted to pass through the key oil transit Strait of Hormuz if the West applies sanctions on Iran’s oil exports, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi warned on Tuesday.
The threat was reported by the state news agency IRNA as Iran conducted navy wargames near the Strait of Hormuz, at the entrance of the oil-rich Gulf....
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/28/iran-hormuz-closure-idUSL6E7NS0P920111228
“If sanctions are adopted against Iranian oil, not a drop of oil will pass through the Strait of Hormuz,” Rahimi was quoted as saying.
“We have no desire for hostilities or violence… but the West doesn’t want to go back on its plan” to impose sanctions, he said.
“The enemies will only drop their plots when we put them back in their place,” he said.
The threat underlined Iran’s readiness to target the narrow stretch of water along its Gulf coast if it is attacked or economically strangled by Western sanctions.
More than a third of the world’s tanker-borne oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States maintains a navy presence in the Gulf in large part to ensure that passage remains free.
Iran is currently carrying out navy exercises in international waters to the east of the Strait of Hormuz.
Ships and aircraft dropped mines in the sea on Tuesday as part of the drill, according to a navy spokesman.
Although Iranian wargames occur periodically, the timing of these is seen as a show of strength as the United States and Europe prepare to impose further sanctions on Iran’s oil and financial sectors.
The last round of sanctions, announced in November, triggered a pro-regime protest in front of the British embassy in Tehran during which Basij militia members overran the mission, ransacking it.
London closed the embassy as a result and ordered Iran’s mission in Britain shut as well.
Tehran in September rejected a Washington call for a military hotline between the capitals to defuse any “miscalculations” that could occur between their militaries in the Gulf.
An Iranian lawmaker’s comments last week that the navy exercises would block the Strait of Hormuz briefly sent oil prices soaring before that was denied by the government.
While the foreign ministry said such drastic action was “not on the agenda”, it reiterated Iran’s threat of “reactions” if the current tensions with the West spilled over into open confrontation....
Next we need to start dismantling the Israeli Lobby/Neocons policies within the US and then start trading with Iran. Of course Israeli Lobby/Neocon policy comes straight from Israel itself, as interpreted through the fevered minds at AIPAC
Israel and her Israeli Lobby just finished having stuck us in Iraq for her, and now she's trying to lie us into attacking Iran for her, using the same lies she used to stick us in Iraq.
It's time to say no to the Israeli Lobby, the Neocons, and the Israelis. It's time to dismantle Israeli Apartheid just like the world dismantled South African Apartheid....
What would such a war look like? Well, it might resemble the Tanker War of 1987-88, except it would be more destructive, as Iran is much better armed today. It would be wise to remember that during the Tanker War some 115 ships were sunk of damaged beyond repair.
To the extent that the U.S. and its naval allies exposed frigates, destroyers and even carriers to Iranian firepower, in escorting tankers through the Gulf, for example, Iran is fully capable of launching weapons that could sink the largest ships, i.e., our super carriers. Even simple mines proved to be dangerous in the Tanker War, damaging several U.S. naval vessels.
If the U.S./Coalition launched a thorough preemptive strike against Iranian naval and air bases, at long range, then of course, Iran would have much less firepower to hit back with. However, given that a single mine, torpedo or cruise missile can sink a billion dollar destroyer, we could not expect to control the Gulf in the wake of such a strike without serious losses.Historically, cruise missiles have been more than 90% effective in striking their targets, and Iran has numerous late model missiles, including some on mobile launchers that would be difficult to detect.
Iran also has hundreds of SCUD and ballistic missiles of various ranges. During the Gulf War I, Coalition forces were unable to destroy all of Iraq's missiles, and quite a number hit Israel. The new government of Iraq could embarrass us by refusing to give us basing rights with which to strike Iran, now that we have left Iraq. In short, depending on how hard Iran decided to fight, such a war could be quite messy, with fires and sinking ships up and down the Persian Gulf, and un-calculated consequences around the world.....
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