US navy on alert as Iran threatens to block Gulf oil route
President Hassan Rouhani calls Trump’s sanctions on his nation ‘incorrect and unwise’
The US navy is on standby near the Strait of Hormuz after Iran’s military warned it would block all oil shipments through the channel if Washington goes ahead with sanctions against Iranian oil exports.
The strait is the most important oil transit channel in the world, with about a fifth of all oil consumed globally passing through on tankers every day, Reuters reports.
Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran’s most powerful military force, told Iranian media: “We will make the enemy understand that either all can use the Strait of Hormuz or no one.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In response, US Navy Central Command spokesperson Bill Urban said that US ships were ready to fulfill their mission to “provide and promote security and stability in the region”.
“Together, we stand ready to ensure the freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce wherever international law allows,” he added.
As The Guardian notes, the threats “will bring back memories of the latter years of the 1980s Iran-Iraq War, when US forces attacked Iranian territorial waters after a US ship struck an Iranian mine”.
Following a few years of diplomatic stability, US-Iran relations have deteriorated rapidly in recent months, with the war of words between the two nations reaching a zenith when Donald Trump announced in May that the US was withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran nuclear deal, signed in 2015.
As tensions grow, the US president is demanding that all countries end imports of Iranian oil by 4 November, as part of a series of 12 demands aimed at forcing Iran to behave “like a normal country”.
Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani embarked on a European tour this week in an attempt to salvage the multilateral nuclear agreement with EU leaders. Foreign ministers from the five remaining signatories are meeting with Iranian officials in Vienna today to discuss proposals aimed at keeping the deal alive.
However, during a phone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, Rouhani said that the package proposed by EU leaders “does not meet all our demands”, and demanded a “clear action plan from Europe with a timetable so it can compensate for the US exit from the deal”.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Post Office's Capture software to be reviewed over 'glitches'
Speed Read Solicitor representing accused postmasters says flaws in the IT system follow 'very similar pattern' to Horizon
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
How would we know if World War Three had started?
Today's Big Question Conflicts in Ukraine, Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific mean the 'spark' that could ignite all-out war 'already exists'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Death Cafe: where people talk mortality over tea and cake
Why everyone's talking about The meet-ups are intended to offer a judgement-free and respectful space to discuss the end of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
'A direct, protracted war with Israel is not something Iran is equipped to fight'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
How powerful is Iran?
Today's big question Islamic republic is facing domestic dissent and 'economic peril' but has a vast military, dangerous allies and a nuclear threat
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
How will Israel respond to Iran's direct attack?
Speed Read Iran’s weekend attack on Israel could escalate into a wider Middle East war
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US, Israel brace for Iran retaliatory strikes
Speed Read An Iranian attack on Israel is believed to be imminent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Iran vows revenge after Israel's consulate strike
Speed Read An Israeli strike demolished a consulate in Syria, escalating tensions
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Will Aukus pact survive a second Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question US, UK and Australia seek to expand 'game-changer' defence partnership ahead of Republican's possible return to White House
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Iran at the crossroads: have the mullahs lost their grip?
In Depth Iranian voters delivered a 'stinging rebuke' to the regime in parliamentary elections
By The Week UK Published
-
Women led Iran's protests. What will new elections mean for them?
Talking Points The protests, and the backlash, loom over the polling
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published