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© Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.Iran steps up threats to close Strait of Hormuz after EU sanctions
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Bgood41
The Chinese and Russian are the back boners for Iran and Syria. What do these countries have in common? The answer is dictatorship. Added onto the list are Venezuela and Cuba. They sacrifice the mass for themselves in the name of the end justifies the means. Communism, extremism, socialism come together for an evil union that are happening today.
some14some
still Capitalism is at the top of Evil Happenings !
SuperLib
Please tell me what concessions/corrections Iran has agreed to after a decade of negotiations.
ParisTiltin
well put, some14some. too many are so easily swayed by the media and forget the facts. they forget who is in control and who has been having their way of it all across the middle east, and who has bases all over the world. just another money (oil) grab happening in iran.
NetNinja
I read yesterday that Iran was sending it Navy to take positions off the Atlantic Coast of the U.S. Hehehehehe. Sabre-rattling at it's finest. They'll never get close. They get sunk by the Los Angeles Class submarines in a heartbeat if they so much as turn a turret at the U.S.
Christina O'Neill
Prices of home heating oil, petrol and derv, started escalating here in Ireland 3 weeks ago as the oil moguls sieze the opportunity to fill their coffers. This morning a litre of petrol was 1.58, and will no doubt rise much further using the Iranian embargo as an excuse.
noriyosan73
Those ships will eventually need to return to home ports. Easy targets for stealth bombers at night. Do they think the are playing the American children's game "Battleship?" The question is: Will the USA and EU really call the bluff?
zenloki
capitalism isn't the problem here, its the collusion of government and corporations that are bringing the downfall of the US. that and the people's ignorance of what their government is doing overseas and has for decades now. why isn't the US playing hardball with North Korea and Pakistan over their nuclear weapons? perhaps its because they lack rich oil reserves. if the US really wants to see an end to nuclear weapons, then unilaterally disarm. the US has become an intolerable imperial nation with the largest military budget and using it to control the rest of the world. that's just wrong.
SuperLib
zenloki, any opinion about the Europeans, who are the focus of the article? Or are you a one trick pony?
nath
No need to. They can scuttle their navy in the straight and jam it up that way.
noriyosan73
Uh, JapanGal, if Iran blocks the straits, does that stop its exports? If it does that, does Iran have other location for the export of oil to Japan?
nath
@noriyosan73
If Iran blocks the strait, it means that Iran in itself is willing to stop all exports, since even Iran itself uses the strait to ship out oil.
Scrote
Iran is in danger of falling for the American provocation; can't they see that the Americans are itching for any excuse to attack? Better to ignore them, sign agreements with China and export their oil there.
Green Wowser
I had to give a thumb up to zenloki. Really thinking about where to place the blame is too difficult.
nandakandamanda
Iran has the right to block the eastern half of the strait, perhaps, but not the western half, right?
Even to block half, at 15 miles of sea, that's an awful lot of ships to sink, JapanGal, and then Iran would be defenseless.
The recent news about mine-laying would seem to be the more likely scenario. Mines can break loose and drift, so they could be a nuisance for everyone, including Iran itself. Iran has a few subs and anti-ship missiles too.
nath
Iran already is defenseless against the superior American armed forces.
Tyler Vandenberg
"EU imposes new sanctions on Iran" I always love how anything that happens in the world is solely blamed on the US.
@ zenloki (New START Treaty-signed 2010, into force in 2011: replaces SORT treaty, reduces deployed nuclear warheads by about half, will remain into force until at least 2021)
With the most advanced military using it to police the rest of the world isn't wrong. The US is the only power that can handle a showdown in the Persian Gulf, and deter a crisis in the Taiwan and Korean at the same time.
Ben_Jackinoff
I'm sure this will help improve the situation for Iran immensely.
manta60
"Iran already is defenseless against the superior American armed forces." <<hahah, somebody should really stop watching so much fox news.
Ben_Jackinoff
manta60,
If you think Iran is militarily superior to the US maybe you have been watching faux news.
nandakandamanda
Ben_Jackinoff, "I'm sure this will help improve the situation for Iran immensely."
The Iranian govt probably does not do irony, so be careful when giving them positive feedback! ;-)
just-a-bigguy
America and her alliesw ill losing another 10 years at least with a war against Iran. Good move.....I expect the 'bear trap' will works!
kurisupisu
The west is being directed by war mongers intent on global resource control. It is the west that is aggressive and invading resource rich countries.
Iran is being spied on and it's people are being murderd by assassins.in fact there is terrorism being carried out in Iran at present.
This is not acceptable!
History will show that this empire building is going to be the cause of a 3rd world war!!!
Johannes Weber
But that is not the "West". The murders seem to be due to Mossad. Therefore, not the "West", but Israel. That's a difference. Spying is done by all states. It is definitely a two-way-street.
And more nukes in the chaos of the Middle-East is a bad idea. I am quite certain that Israel is more than willing to use nukes preemptively, so don't give them any reason. Don't give the madman a reason to pull the trigger. If Iran continues on this track, then there might be second madman with nukes after all or it might all perish in flames.
The US cannot win a war against Iran without terrifying losses. Not only for Iran or the US, but for the entire region.
manta60
Unlike all the other countries that the usa has invaded iran is NOT defenceless.
nath
@manta60
Instead of giving off lame one-liners, can you please give more explanation why other people's views are wrong.
Iran may not be entirely defenseless, but lanching several missles during an "exercise" does not necessarily prove any military strength. For all we know, those may be the only missiles Iran has in it's weapons racks. Several ships on excercise, sure. Tanks and infantry, maybe. Nuclear warheads ... well now, isn't that the root cause of all the problems?
Sadly, this is all so true. If a war breaks in the Strait of Hormuz, many middle east countries will be affected immediately. Oil-producing countries that rely on the strait like Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar.
If a full-scale war erupts, other oil-producing countries may need to produce more oil to meet the supply requirements of (almost) the entire world. Several European as well as other neighboring countries may join the fight.
Ben_Jackinoff
Who said anything about war? Stopping Iran from attempting to close the strait does not equal war. I highly doubt the US is interested in invading Iran.
Tom DeMicke
Iran started World War III on November 4th, 1979 when they seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. There's been nothing but deteriorating situations in the middle east ever since that day. Desert Storm III coming to a movie theater near you!
kurisupisu
At JW
Although it might be politically correct to point the figure at Israel I would hesitate to do so due to lack of evidence. Recent events show (with the capture of an American CIA agent) that the US is aggressively involved in stoking the flames of war.
It might be relevant to point out that there is a strong Zionist movement within the US that is adept at wielding strong influence in the US.
How far and to what degree these elements influence the US is of course open to conjecture-history will be the judge....
Madverts
Closing the straights would be the end of the Iranian regime. I'd like them to try but we all know it's an empty threat. Even the might the Allies would drop on them aside, it would cripple Iran's only source of export revenue themselves. Kinda reminds me of Cleavton Little taking himself hostage in Blazing Saddles.
So go on Iran. Block the straits. It will give the allies the chance to blow your poxy little navy off the earth, and hopefully help the revolution at home that has been struggling to bubble over for several years. If that were the case I hope the Iranians refuse to trade with the Russians and the Chinese, who as the first poster correctly states, are propping up rotten regimes in Tehran and Damascus.
Madverts
zenloki
"why isn't the US playing hardball with North Korea and Pakistan over their nuclear weapons?"
Uhm, because they already sneakily obtained them?
Talk about missing the point of the whole discussion there!
Cletus
Madverts
Goto love the optimism there, I think the Iranians would not be the pushovers the Iraqi's where or the Taliban where and look at how the US struggled there. Even if the US does bomb them l dont think the Iranians will sit back and take it like many others do, l think you will find a fast escalating US body count and a country that quickly looses its bravado and appitite for war.
You do realise that they dont even have to use their navy to block the straits there are other methods some of them land based that can block it equally well and is harder for the US to hit back at.
But l fear this is another case of the US policy of do as l say not as l do and is one destined to hurt the rest of the world that depends on mid east oil to function. Way to go USA!!!
Serrano
"American aircraft carrier... British and French warships"
Didn't the Chinese just show off their new aircraft carrier? Why don't they put it to good use here? Heck, let them deal with this mess.
kurisupisu
@cletus
What age did your brainwashing start?
Madverts
Cletus,
When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait the brunt of Allied forces (those that depend the most on the black gold), flattened him. Then, he had the 4th largest army in the world. There were little casualties on our side. Any Iranian efforts to close the straits would be dealt with in a similar manner. Only you are talking about ground invasion.
This is a moot point, anyway, as the Iranian threats are laughable.
So to put the ball back in your court, can I take it as read that you support an Iranian nuclear weapon, and that you think these Iranian threats (which in themselves aren't far from a declaration of war) are justified?
nandakandamanda
One factor we need to remember is that many Middle East states have Shiite underclasses. Iran, being a Shiite Republic, (not really Islamic at all, according to Sunnis and Islamic purists) would like to encourage them to rise up and overthrow their Sunni ruling classes. Iraq next door is now controlled by Shiites and through them to some extent by Iran.
Because of Iran's interests in the Middle East and wish to take a leading 'revolutionary' role there, most of the Gulf states at least would like to see interfering and proud Iran taken down a notch or two, regardless of who actually does the dirty work.
If Iran were a little more mature and responsible, then there would be less nervousness in the region. Iran definitely seems to want to upset the status quo, but once the area becomes unravelled...