&host=www.rt.com&uri=/news/iran-sanctions-oil-passage-823/&via=1.1 4.27.8.143:80 (Footprint 4.8/FPMCP)&ua=CCBot/1.0 (+http://www.commoncrawl.org/bot.html))
Oil standoff: Iran, West on brink of war?
Published: 28 December, 2011, 19:28
Iranian men burn a US flag outside the former US embassy in Tehran (AFP Photo / ATTA KENARE)
(38.4Mb) embed videoTAGS: Conflict, Military, Iran, Global economy
A top Iranian military official has said blocking a crucial oil export channel will be "easier than drinking a glass of water." Experts say the West should listen, because Iran’s influence in the region has grown significantly.
Iran’s navy chief Habibollah Sayyari said that "closing the Strait of Hormuz for Iran's armed forces is really easy.”
The US Navy has responded by saying the threat is unacceptable. "Anyone who threatens to disrupt the freedom of navigation in an international strait is clearly outside the community of nations; any disruption will not be tolerated," said Amy Derrick Frost, spokesperson for the US Navy 5th Fleet in Bahrain.
Earlier this week Iran announced it will block the Strait of Hormuz, which sees the transport of over one sixth of the world’s oil trade, if the West sanctions the country’s oil exports.
Political analyst Chris Bambery thinks that as American control in the Middle East is weakening and Iranian is growing, “We are witnessing quite a dangerous escalation.”
“We now see that American control of the Middle East is weakest in decades… it is not in control of Iraq, Iran has considerable influence in Iraq, is extending its influence in Afghanistan.”
Commenting on the possible Iranian blockade of the strait, Bambery said that if the US tries to force open the passage, “that would mean war with Iran, and that would be a huge escalation and would threaten world peace.”
He believes that for the US it is not simply a military conflict, but something that could spill into a regional conflict in which the US has a much weaker hand than it had a decade ago.
According to Bambery, Iran is in much stronger position now and, as he sees it, “Iranians are really challenging Americans sensing the American weakness.”
He also said that the Western nations are making a big mistake because the “Iranian economy is doing well and Iran is in the position to exert more influence in the regional basis as we saw this week with these new agreements in Afghanistan.”
“It is the West who has racked up that situation,” he concluded.
28.12.2011, 18:18
9 comments
‘Syrian verdict will be pre-ordained’The Syrian government has released 755 detainees as Arab League monitors continue their mission to stop nine months of violence that has killed thousands. However, doubts remain on both sides that the observers can provide a neutral verdict. Syria unrest |
28.12.2011, 19:44
1 comment
Egypt’s Mubarak trial postponed another weekThe trial of Egypt’s ousted leader Hosni Mubarak, which resumed on Wednesday after a three-month break, has been postponed again until Monday. Egypt unrest |
If america, britain, and israel continue to attack IRAN as they have consistently done since 1953, we will see WW3 very soon.
america, britain and israels government are international war criminals who need to be brought to justice.
CHINA and RUSSIA need to stand up for IRAN and put a stop to wesern imperialism.
I have never seen so many uneducated people gather in one place before. America never took anybodies oil. If we did, we wouldn't be paying 4 dollars a gallon for gas. If you think that you are the worst kind of uneducated idiot. And you conspiracy theorist are the war mongers. Your lack of common sense and education is mind boggling. If you don't like America, LEAVE! If you think these other countries are so great, GO LIVE THERE! But you won't, because you know you are wrong.
YOUR PERSONAL OPINIONS ARE NOT FACTS!!!!!! None of you can prove any of the idiotic assumptions you make, and you should all be ashamed of yourselves. Opinions are like A-holes, and there is no shortage of A-holes here. Have fun waiting in your bomb shelter for nothing to happen. Morons.
'Power in numbers' would always prevail in an electoral body, be it foreign or local, to build the world they 'choose' to exist in.
must implement this power to reign in Your elected figures for further inspection to ascertain their qualifications to run a 'democracy'.
If you had hired an employee that was found to be harming your business from the inside. Would'nt appropriate action be considered within legal perimeters?
NWO= martial law= mass ill-legal arrests and detention=forced 'vaccined shots'...oh excuse me, mandatory bug shots= anti-human rights=dominance= enslavement=death=NWO.....impeachment? Wow what a thought...KIS, just fire them, NOW!!
Couple Options:
Fire them second option
Fire them, third option....