The Strait of Hormuz

Photo credit: Mike Gadd

The Straight of Hormuz: If you’ve read much of PrudentHome over time then you’re familiar with our periodic updates on events concerning the ongoing friction between Israel and Iran. We’ve covered this area, almost alone among the preparedness and survival blogs, because we believe it represents a potentially critical flashpoint of conflict that could dramatically reduce America’s ability to function as an industrial nation by closing or substantially restricting the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz.

The following article from WorldNet Daily (wnd.com) on 12/7/09 entitled “Navy: Iran able to shut down oil route – Nearly 1/3 of world’s supplies pass through Strait of Hormuz” (excerpted from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin) brings our concerns to greater light. Here are some of the articles key points:

• “The Office of Naval Intelligence has confirmed that Iran can shut down the strategic Strait of Hormuz through which move more than 30 percent of the world’s oil supplies pass according to a report from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.
• The report was posted on the website for the ONI, but abruptly removed after about a week.Before its unexpected removal, G2B was able to obtain a copy of the unclassified report …
• “World economies would suffer a “serious economic impact from a sustain closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to greatly reduced supplies of crude oil, petroleum supplies, and (liquefied natural gas), “ ONI said.
• The report also pointed to Iran’s naval modernization to help carry out such a closure. Indeed, the report said that Iran not only is expanding its current arms inventories but is adding “increasingly sophisticated systems” which it has acquired from China and Russia.”

PH Comment: This informative article continues on, mentioning the types of sophisticated arms systems that Iran has and is thought to be acquiring. But perhaps the most important piece of information the article presents is the admission on the part of the U.S. Navy that it cannot keep the Strait of Hormuz open if Iran moves to shut it down.

To our knowledge, the U.S. Navy has never admitted anything like this before; at least in public.
Also, we’ve recently heard from an interview with  a former U. S. Ambassador that, in his opinion, UN sanctions on Iran – past, present, and future – will be too little and too late. Iran is too close to actually having a nuclear weapon to be influenced by any level/type of sanctions.

So here we are: either Iran is allowed to become a belligerent (some say) nuclear power in an area of critical significance to the industrial nations of the world or … war to change her standing and mind. If we had to place a bet it would be placed on war. Prepare families prepare.

Until next time, keep your eyes on the horizon as the weathers changing fast.