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The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow, strategically important strait between the
Gulf of Oman in the southeast and the Persian Gulf. On the north coast is
Iran and on the south coast is the United Arab Emirates and Musandam, an
exclave of Oman.
The strait at its narrowest is 21 nautical miles (39 km) wide.[1] It is the onlysea passage to the open ocean for large areas of the petroleum-exporting
Persian Gulf and is one of the world's most strategically important choke
points. Around 20% of the world's oil, which is about 35% of seaborne
traded oil, passes through the strait.[1]
The opening to the Persian Gulf was described, but not given a name, in the
Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, a 1st-century mariner's guide:
"At the upper end of these Calaei islands is a range of mountains called
Calon, and there follows not far beyond, the mouth of the Persian Gulf,
where there is much diving for the pearl-mussel. To the left of the straits
are great mountains called Asabon, and to the right there rises in full view
another round and high mountain called Semiramis; between them the
passage across the strait is about six hundred stadia; beyond which that
very great and broad sea, the Persian Gulf, reaches far into the interior. At
the upper end of this gulf there is a market-town designated by law called
Apologus, situated near Charaex Spasini and the River Euphrates."
Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, Chapter 35
In the 10th to 17th centuries AD, the Kingdom of Ormus, which seems to
have given the strait its name, was located here. Scholars, historians and
linguists derive[2][dead link] the name "Ormuz" from the local Persian word
Hur-mogh meaning date palm.[3][dubious discuss] In the local
dialects of Hurmoz and Minab this strait is still called Hurmogh and has the
aforementioned meaning.[citation needed] The resemblance of this word
with the name of the Persian God Hormoz (a variant of Ahura Mazda)
has resulted in the popular belief[citation needed][neutrality is disputed]
that these words are related.
Ships moving through the Strait follow a Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS),which separates inbound from outbound traffic to reduce the risk of
collision. The traffic lane is six miles (10 km) wide, including two two-mile (3
km)-wide traffic lanes, one inbound and one outbound, separated by a two-
mile (3 km) wide separation median.
To traverse the Strait, ships pass through the territorial waters of Iran and
Oman under the transit passage provisions of the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea.[4] Although not all countries have
ratified the convention,[5] most countries, including the U.S.,[6] accept
these customary navigation rules as codified in the Convention. Oman has a
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radar site Link Quality Indicator (LQI) to monitor the TSS in the strait of
Hormuz. This site is on a small island on the peak of Musandam Peninsula.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, on an average day
in 2011, about 14 tankers carrying 17 million barrels (2,700,000 m3) ofcrude oil passed out of the Persian Gulf through the Strait. This was said to
represent 35% of the world's seaborne oil shipments, and 20% of oil traded
worldwide. The report stated that more than 85 percent of these crude oil
exports went to Asian markets, with Japan, India, South Korea and China
the largest destinations.[1]
A 2007 report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies also
stated that 17 million barrels passed out of the Gulf daily, but that oil flows
through the Strait accounted for roughly 40% of all world-traded oil[7]
On 18 April 1988, the U.S. Navy waged a one-day battle against Iranian
forces in and around the strait. The battle, dubbed Operation Praying
Mantis by the U.S. side, was launched in retaliation for the 14 April mining
of the USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58) by Iran. U.S. forces sank one frigate,
one gunboat, and as many as six armed speedboats in the engagement and
seriously damaged a second frigate.
The downing of Iran Air 655
Main article: Iran Air Flight 655
On 3 July 1988, 290 people were killed when an Iran Air Airbus A300
passenger jet was shot down over the strait by the United States Navy
guided missile cruiser USS Vincennes in a case of mistaken identity.
[edit]Collision between USS Newport News and tanker Mogamigawa
On 8 January 2007, the nuclear submarine USS Newport News, traveling
submerged, struck M/V Mogamigawa, a 300,000-ton Japanese-flagged very
large crude tanker, south of the strait.[8] There were no injuries, and no oil
leaked from the tanker.
[edit]Tensions in 2008
[edit]2008 US-Iranian naval disputeMain article: 2008 US-Iranian naval dispute
A series of naval stand-offs between Iranian speedboats and U.S. warships
in the Strait of Hormuz occurred in December 2007 and January 2008. U.S.
officials accused Iran of harassing and provoking their naval vessels; Iranian
officials denied these allegations. On 14 January 2008, U.S. naval officials
appeared to contradict the Pentagon version of the 16 January event, in
which U.S. officials said U.S. vessels were near to firing on approaching
Iranian boats. The Navy's regional commander, Vice Admiral Kevin Cosgriff,
said the Iranians had "neither anti-ship missiles nor torpedoes" and that he
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"wouldn't characterize the posture of the US 5th Fleet as afraid of these
small boats".[9]
[edit]Iranian defence policy
On 29 June 2008, the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Ali
Mohammed Jafari, said that if Iran were attacked by Israel or the UnitedStates, it would seal off the Strait of Hormuz, to wreak havoc in oil markets.
This statement followed other more ambiguous threats from Iran's oil
minister and other government officials that a Western attack on Iran would
result in turmoil in oil supply.
In response, Vice Admiral Kevin Cosgriff, commander of the U.S. 5th Fleet
stationed in Bahrain across the Persian Gulf from Iran, warned that such an
action by Iran would be considered an act of war, and that the U.S. would
not allow Iran to effectively hold hostage nearly a third of the world's oil
supply.[10]
On 8 July 2008, Ali Shirazi, a mid-level clerical aide to Iran's Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was quoted by the student news agency
ISNA as saying to Revolutionary Guards, "The Zionist regime is pressuring
White House officials to attack Iran. If they commit such a stupidity, Tel Aviv
and U.S. shipping in the Persian Gulf will be Iran's first targets and they will
be burned."[11]
[edit]Naval activity in 2008
In the last week of July 2008, in the Operation Brimstone,[12] dozens of U.S.
and foreign navy ships came to off the eastern coast in the U.S., to undergo
joint exercises for possible military activity in the shallow waters off the
coast of Iran.
As of 11 August 2008, more than 40 U.S. and allied ships reportedly were
en route to the Strait of Hormuz. One U.S. carrier battle group from Japan
would complement two more, which are already in the Persian Gulf, for a
total of five battle groups, not counting submarines.[13]
[edit]Collision between USS Hartford and USS New Orleans
Main article: USS Hartford and USS New Orleans collision
Wikinews has related news: Two US Navy vessels collide in the Strait
of Hormuz; 15 lightly injuredOn 20 March 2009, United States Navy Los Angeles-class submarine USS
Hartford (SSN-768) collided with the San Antonio-class amphibious
transport dock USS New Orleans (LPD-18) in the strait. The collision, which
slightly injured 15 sailors aboard the Hartford, ruptured a fuel tank aboard
the New Orleans, spilling 25,000 US gallons (95 m3) of marine diesel fuel.
[14]
[edit]Tensions in 20112012
Main article: 201112 Strait of Hormuz dispute
On 27 December 2011, Iranian Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimithreatened to cut off oil supply from the Strait of Hormuz should economic
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sanctions limit, or cut off, Iranian oil exports.[15] A U.S. Fifth Fleet
spokeswoman said in response that the Fleet was "always ready to counter
malevolent actions", whilst Admiral Habibollah Sayari of the Iranian navy
claimed that cutting off oil shipments would be "easy".[16] Despite an initial
2% rise in oil prices, oil markets ultimately did not react significantly to theIranian threat, with oil analyst Thorbjoern Bak Jensen of Global Risk
Management concluding that "they cannot stop the flow for a longer period
due to the amount of U.S. hardware in the area".[17]
On 3 January 2012, Iran threatened to take action if the U.S. Navy moves an
aircraft carrier back into the Persian Gulf. Iranian Army chief Ataollah Salehi
said the United States had moved an aircraft carrier out of the Gulf because
of Iran's naval exercises, and Iran would take action if the ship returned.
"Iran will not repeat its warning...the enemy's carrier has been moved to
the Gulf of Oman because of our drill. I recommend and emphasize to the
American carrier not to return to the Persian Gulf", he said.[18]
The U.S. Navy spokesman Commander Bill Speaks quickly responded that
deployment of U.S. military assets would continue as has been the custom
stating: "The U.S. Navy operates under international maritime conventions
to maintain a constant state of high vigilance in order to ensure the
continued, safe flow of maritime traffic in waterways critical to global
commerce."[19]
While earlier statements from Iran had little effect on global oil markets,
coupled with the new sanctions, these terse comments from Iran are driving
crude futures higher, up over 4%.[citation needed] Pressure on prices
reflect a combination of uncertainty driven further by Chinas recent
response reducing oil January 2012 purchases from Iran by 50%
compared to those made in 2011.[citation needed]
The U.S. led sanctions may be beginning to bite as Iranian currency has
recently lost some 12% of its value. Further pressure on Iranian currency
was added by French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe on Tuesday calling for
"stricter sanctions" and urged EU countries to follow the US in freezing
Iranian central bank assets and imposing an embargo on oil exports.[20]
On 7 January 2012, the United Kingdom announced that it would be sendingthe Type 45 destroyer HMS Daring to the Persian Gulf. Daring, which is the
lead ship of her class is claimed to be one of the "most advanced warships"
in the world, and will undertake its first mission in the Persian Gulf.[21] The
British Government however have said that this move has been long-
planned, as Daring will replace another Armilla patrol frigate.[22]
On 9 January 2012, Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi denied that Iran
had ever claimed that it would close the Strait of Hormuz, saying that "the
Islamic Republic of Iran is the most important provider of security in the
strait...if one threatens the security of the Persian Gulf, then all arethreatened."[23]
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The Iranian Foreign Ministry confirmed on 16 January 2012 that it has
received a letter from the United States concerning the Strait of Hormuz,
via three different channels. Authorities were considering whether to
reply, although the contents of the letter were not divulged.[24] The US had
previously announced its intention to warn Iran that closing the Strait ofHormuz is a red line that would provoke an American response.[25] Gen.
Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said this past
weekend that the United States would take action and reopen the strait,
which could be accomplished only by military means, including
minesweepers, warship escorts and potentially airstrikes. Defense
Secretary Leon E. Panetta told troops in Texas on Thursday that the United
States would not tolerate Irans closing of the strait. Nevertheless Iran
continued to discuss the impact of shutting the Strait on world oil markets,
saying that any disruption of supply would cause a shock to markets that
no country could manage.[26]
By 23 January, a flotilla had been established by countries opposing Iran's
threats to close the Hormuz Strait.[27] These ships operated in the Persian
Gulf and Arabian Sea off the coast of Iran. The flotilla included two
American aircraft carriers (the USS Carl Vinson and USS Abraham Lincoln)
and three destroyers (USS Momsen, USS Sterett, USS Halsey), seven British
warships, including the destroyer HMS Daring and a number of Type 23
frigates (HMS Westminster, HMS Argyll, HMS Somerset and HMS St Albans),
and a French warship.[28]
On 24 January tensions rose further after the European Union imposed
sanctions on Iranian oil. A senior member of Iran's parliament said that the
Islamic Republic would close the entry point to the Gulf if new sanctions
block its oil exports.[29] "If any disruption happens regarding the sale of
Iranian oil, the Strait of Hormuz will definitely be closed," Mohammad
Kossari, deputy head of parliament's foreign affairs and national security
committee, told the semi-official Fars News Agency.
[edit]Ability of Iran to hinder shipping
The Millennium Challenge 2002 was to simulate an attempt by Iran to closethe strait. The assumptions and results were controversial.[30]
A 2008 article in International Security contended that Iran could seal off or
impede traffic in the Strait for a month, and an attempt by the U.S. to
reopen it would be likely to escalate the conflict.[31] In a later issue,
however, the journal published a response which questioned some key
assumptions and suggested a much shorter timeline for re-opening.[32]
In December 2011 Iran's navy began a 10-day exercise in international
waters near the strait. The Iranian Navy Commander, Rear Admiral
Habibollah Sayyari, stated that the strait would not be closed during the
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exercise; Iranian forces could easily accomplish that but such a decision
must be made at a political level.[33][34]
Captain John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, was quoted in a December
2011 Reuters article: "Efforts to increase tension in that part of the world
are unhelpful and counter-productive. For our part, we are comfortable thatwe have in the region sufficient capabilities to honor our commitments to
our friends and partners, as well as the international community." In the
same article, Suzanne Maloney, an Iran expert at the Brookings Institution,
said, "The expectation is that the U.S. military could address any Iranian
threat relatively quickly."[35]
General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in
January 2012 that Iran has invested in capabilities that could, in fact, for a
period of time block the Strait of Hormuz. He also stated, Weve invested
in capabilities to ensure that if that happens, we can defeat that.[36]