US ‘won’t allow’ Iran to shut key Gulf oil route

MANAMA (AFP)


His remarks followed comments by the chief of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Ali Jafari, who issued a new warning last week against any attack against his country over its controversial nuclear drive.

“It is natural that when a country is attacked it uses all of its capabilities against the enemy, and definitely our control of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz would be one of our actions,” Jafari said.

The strait between Iran and Oman is a vital conduit for energy supplies, with as much as 40 percent of the world’s crude passing through the waterway from Gulf suppliers.

“Certainly if there is fighting… the scope will be extended to oil, meaning its price will increase drastically. This will deter our enemies from taking action against Iran,” Jafari said.

Cosgriff said: “The latest Iranian statements are not helpful.”

He insisted that that the international community will work to protect navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that any action by Iran “will not be an action against the United States but against the international community”.

AFP