Who owns the Strait of Hormuz?
May 18 2019 By Abiodun Karim Giwa
The Strait of Hormuz is in the news again. Anytime Hormuz comes into the news, has always been over diplomatic issues between Iran and other countries, Iran using Hormuz to want to extract some consensus from the latter.
It is not strange that with another hot diplomatic issue emerging between Iran and the United States, Iran has threatened to block the passage at Hormuz against international maritime.
Consequently. the U.S has sent warships to warn Iran that blockading Hormuz would not be without consequence. Therefore, the tango between Iran and the U.S has always led to a question about the ownership of The Strait of Hormuz.
Although.Hormuz is located very close very close to Iran as the map above shows, just as it is also close to the United Arab Emirate (U.A.E), and the ownership is still unclear despite the fact that the area is reportedly under Iranian control, according sources.
The strategic closeness of the place to Iran and location being between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman and the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean makes Iran think it can use the threat to close the strait to get the western powers to consider it also has power.
The power that Iran thinks it has is that if Iran decidedly closes the strait, there will be no passage for oil ships and that will create a fall in the supply of oil in the international market. A fall in the supply of oil will subsequently lead to high oil prices across the world. The reason the international community has always challenged Iran anytime Iran threatens to close Hormuz.
About 20 percent of the world's petroleum passes through Hormuz, according to Wikipedia. Every report agree that if Hormuz is blocked, oil price will skyrocket, but the question about the ownership of Hormuz is still unanswered and whether Iran has a right to claim control over Hormuz, when the U.A.E can as well claim the same control, bringing to the fore the tussle over Hormuz from 2011 between Iran and eleven other countries.
The first time Iran threatened to block Hormuz was in 2011. it met resistance from the European Union followed by sanctions and banning of oil export from Iran to deter from pursuing a nuclear program. The international effort to deter Iran from pursuing nuclear power with a payment of mouth watering amount fell apart with President Donald Trump's decision to with the United States from the international agreement and stopped the payment from the U.S. to Iran.
Consequently, Iran has been under the reeling effects of economic sanctions and recently cried out that it will renew its nuclear program if the EU does nothing to stop the U.S. continued sanctions against Iran with 60 days ultimatum blockade. The EU has responded to Iran that it could do whatever it wishes but condemns the ultimatum from Iran. Amid this imbroglio, Iran has issued a threat to block the Hormuz and the U.S. has responded by sending warships to warn Iran of the consequences of any blockade of Hormuz.
Another development in Hormuz being investigated is the attack on four ships said to have likely come from Iran's surgical operation in the area. Aside from the warning against the blockade of Hormuz, the U.S. reportedly said its intelligence sighted Iran loading missiles into small boats and warns that if Iran attacks any American interest or the interest of U.S. allies in the region, the consequence would be grievous.
Meanwhile, iran officials have been speaking aloud about a likely defeat of the U.S. if there should be any attack of iran by the former, a reminder of the words from Saddam Hussein and his supporters before the war in iraq and Hussein's fall. However, people are urging restraint for Iran and the U.S. to allow discussions toward resolving the current impasse and not allow any mistake capable of leading to full scale hostility between the U.S. and iran.
It is not strange that with another hot diplomatic issue emerging between Iran and the United States, Iran has threatened to block the passage at Hormuz against international maritime.
Consequently. the U.S has sent warships to warn Iran that blockading Hormuz would not be without consequence. Therefore, the tango between Iran and the U.S has always led to a question about the ownership of The Strait of Hormuz.
Although.Hormuz is located very close very close to Iran as the map above shows, just as it is also close to the United Arab Emirate (U.A.E), and the ownership is still unclear despite the fact that the area is reportedly under Iranian control, according sources.
The strategic closeness of the place to Iran and location being between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman and the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean makes Iran think it can use the threat to close the strait to get the western powers to consider it also has power.
The power that Iran thinks it has is that if Iran decidedly closes the strait, there will be no passage for oil ships and that will create a fall in the supply of oil in the international market. A fall in the supply of oil will subsequently lead to high oil prices across the world. The reason the international community has always challenged Iran anytime Iran threatens to close Hormuz.
About 20 percent of the world's petroleum passes through Hormuz, according to Wikipedia. Every report agree that if Hormuz is blocked, oil price will skyrocket, but the question about the ownership of Hormuz is still unanswered and whether Iran has a right to claim control over Hormuz, when the U.A.E can as well claim the same control, bringing to the fore the tussle over Hormuz from 2011 between Iran and eleven other countries.
The first time Iran threatened to block Hormuz was in 2011. it met resistance from the European Union followed by sanctions and banning of oil export from Iran to deter from pursuing a nuclear program. The international effort to deter Iran from pursuing nuclear power with a payment of mouth watering amount fell apart with President Donald Trump's decision to with the United States from the international agreement and stopped the payment from the U.S. to Iran.
Consequently, Iran has been under the reeling effects of economic sanctions and recently cried out that it will renew its nuclear program if the EU does nothing to stop the U.S. continued sanctions against Iran with 60 days ultimatum blockade. The EU has responded to Iran that it could do whatever it wishes but condemns the ultimatum from Iran. Amid this imbroglio, Iran has issued a threat to block the Hormuz and the U.S. has responded by sending warships to warn Iran of the consequences of any blockade of Hormuz.
Another development in Hormuz being investigated is the attack on four ships said to have likely come from Iran's surgical operation in the area. Aside from the warning against the blockade of Hormuz, the U.S. reportedly said its intelligence sighted Iran loading missiles into small boats and warns that if Iran attacks any American interest or the interest of U.S. allies in the region, the consequence would be grievous.
Meanwhile, iran officials have been speaking aloud about a likely defeat of the U.S. if there should be any attack of iran by the former, a reminder of the words from Saddam Hussein and his supporters before the war in iraq and Hussein's fall. However, people are urging restraint for Iran and the U.S. to allow discussions toward resolving the current impasse and not allow any mistake capable of leading to full scale hostility between the U.S. and iran.
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