Iran confirms receipt of U.S. letter warning against blockade of Strait of Hormuz
Letter comes as tensions are high over the vital oil shipping lane; Tehran considering whether to reply to Washington letter.
By News Agencies Tags: IranIran on Sunday confirmed having received a message by the United States regarding the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, news agencies reported Sunday.
Iranian generals have warned that they could close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital international oil route in the Persian Gulf - thus blocking a considerable share of global oil exports - if oil sanctions were imposed.
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Iranian naval vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, Jan. 3, 2012. |
| Photo by: Reuters |
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast was quoted as saying Tehran had not yet decided if it would reply to the letter, the contents of which he did not detail.
"America's message over the Strait of Hormuz reached us through three channels. It was given to our UN representative, the Swiss ambassador conveyed it to the Foreign Ministry and also Iraqi President Jalal Talabani gave the message to Iran," Mehmanparast said, according to the ISNA news agency.
"If we deem it is necessary to give a response to America's message, then we will reply to it. The issue is being reviewed by Iran and it will be done in an appropriate way."
Tehran and Washington have had no direct diplomatic relations since 1979 and the Swiss embassy represents U.S. interests in Iran.
Tehran said on Saturday it had sent a letter to Washington with evidence U.S. intelligence services were involved in the assassination of a nuclear scientist last week.
Washington has said it would not tolerate any closure of the strait - the export route for one third of all seaborne traded oil - with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has saying such a move would require a response.
Tensions between the two countries have risen in recent weeks. U.S. President Barack Obama signed a bill on New Year's Eve that, if fully implemented, would make it impossible for most countries to pay for Iranian oil.
In addition to threats about Hormuz, Iran has started enriching uranium at an underground bunker and sentencing an Iranian-American citizen to death on spying charges.
Negotiations between the West and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program stalled one year ago.
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obama sends a letter..is the envelope licked by michele? Wilson,Chamberlain,Obama...the 3 stooges that will go down in history as catastrophic leaders.
go for it
They are basically using every tactic available to get US wage a war for them that includes Political blackmail. All will be done at the US tax payers expense who are already burdened with tax over their heads.
Israel doesn't depend on the US to defend itself against the Iranian threat. You have no idea what Israel is capable of. (Neither do I, but I can guesstimate.)
Iran will not attempt to block off the Straits until its defeat is imminent, for two reasons. #1 even the mullahs are not delusional enough to think they can withstand an attack by the USA/Israel. #2 Iran exports crude, but does not produce refined product (petrol or deisel). Thus blocking the Straits cuts off their own supplies as well. The Persian people will rise and hang the mullahs from their beards for defiling Islam to enrich themselves.
they doesnt want to wage.
Israel would have used the nukes.
I can imagine Khamenei running to his snail-mailbox impatiently everyday.
Ooops, read the title: "Iran confirms receipt of U.S. letter" :)
November 4, 1979
November 4, 1979
Iran does not have to physically close the straight. After Israel attacks then all the iranians have to do is sink one or two oil tankers and it will close all by itself. No insurer will insure oil cargos at that time and the worlds economy will tail spin.
Barring the purchase of Iranian oil will decrease oil availability and thus increase oil prices. Instead, the West should impose a special tax on Iranian oil, say 5-10 dollars per barrel. The Iranians will be forced to discount their oil (absorb the tax) to make it sellable, so in effect the tax will be paid by Iranian treasury. Overall, the West will get extra income and Iran less. Iran will be forced to produce and sell even more oil. This will also lower world prices.
Nobody foreign country should pay a tax to the US. The tax I proposed is in the form of "custom duty" on imported Iranian oil. This would make that oil more expensive in the EU, and the importing oil company will lose customers unless they find alternative sources of oil. To forestall this, Iran will have to discount its oil price. Simple economics, for people who understand even a tiny bit of economics.
The statement by Ali Ashraf Nouri and others is that IF THE WEST were to BLOCK THE HORMUZ against Iranian exports of crude (which would constitute an act of war) Iran would retaliate by closing the straits to all shipping. Reports in Haaretz and other newspapers have repeated ad nauseam that the threat was against the sanctions, but I have not seen an actual statement to that effect. If any one has seen such a statement, I would like the link
This means that Iran will have no need to stop oil shipping through Hormuz. The US will not push the rat into a corner, because then it will have to fight back. Of course, the West cannot tolerate stoppage of oil exports through the Gulf, so it will have to react by landing troops in Iran. This is a prescription for another land war in the style of Dumbya Bush. We better not have that.