Iranian Navy exercise begins in the Strait of Hormuz
In the Strait of Hormuz on Friday started the exercises of the Iranian Navy. In a strategically important sea artery, through which oil and gas from Arab countries are exported to the West, new rocket launchers will be tested and at the same time rehearse the strait overlap. It is this measure that Tehran has repeatedly threatened to respond to economic sanctions from the United States and the European Union. In Washington, in this scenario, they promise to use force."Velayat-91" - under this name are the teachings of the Iranian Navy in the Strait of Hormuz. They will last six days. For European and American politicians, this is another reason to accuse the Islamic Republic of demonstrating force and provocations. The main thing is not even the testing by the Iranian Navy of missile systems and submarines, but the training operation to block the Strait of Hormuz is one of the main sea arteries for exporting raw materials to the West.
"If any forces from outside that are led by the West attempt to disrupt stability in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran will immediately respond. There will be no oil supplies through the strait, either on tankers or on commercial ships. We are responsible for the security of this region and take all the necessary measures to control the Strait of Hormuz, until it overlaps, "said Ismali Kosari, deputy head of the Iranian parliamentary committee on international relations.
Meanwhile, in Washington they still insist that if it does get to close the strait, war with Iran is almost inevitable. Such a position is quite explicable: only tankers with oil from the countries of the Persian Gulf to other regions of the world can pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
Today, about 40 per cent of world oil exports by sea pass along this route: it is about 20 million barrels of black gold per day. It is mined in Qatar, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Also, up to one hundred million cubic meters of liquefied gas is exported daily across the strait. If it is closed, it may be the last straw for the Gulf countries - recently their authorities have criticized Iran more and more.
"The threat from Iran comes simultaneously in many directions. There is a political threat: Iran is constantly interfering in the affairs of the Persian Gulf countries. There is also a threat to the environment because of the work of Iranian enterprises that use nuclear energy. Finally, Iran’s nuclear program itself can lead to conflict, ”says Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa.
Threats to block the Strait of Hormuz in response to sanctions from Western countries have not been heard from Tehran for the first time - this summer the parliament of the Islamic Republic even approved the corresponding bill. And at the end of 2011, previous exercises passed, during which the Iranian military tested long-range missiles. The US Navy, both then and now, chose as a countermeasure a demonstrative passage through the strait of its own ships. This time the choice fell on the nuclear aircraft carrier "John Stennis" and the missile cruiser "Mobile Bay". According to the American press, the Pentagon can increase pressure with the help of a group of ships, which is now in the port of Oman in Salalah. It consists of several landing ships, an aircraft carrier with fighter-attack planes on board and a submarine.
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