Could Iran Shut Down the Strait of Hormuz?
The U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) is saying that Iran’s navy has reached the point where it can effectively seal off the Strait of Hormuz in the event of war. According to a September ONI report, Iran would likely do this if its nuclear sites were attacked by the U.S. or Israel. The implications of this naval blockade would endanger the fragile world economy: since nearly 40 percent of the world’s oil supplies pass through the Strait of Hormuz, even a limited closure would cause the price of oil to skyrocket, Press TV reports.
World economies would suffer a “serious economic impact from a sustained 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.
The Chinese have provided Iran with an arsenal of C801 and C802 cruise missiles which it could use for coastal defense. The missiles are capable of reaching any point within the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, according to the Navy.
Iran also has worked with China to develop shorter-range missiles, including the C701, for “deployment in narrow geographic environments,” the report added.
The ONI report tended to confirm what the Navy until now has refused to talk about, namely Iran’s possible possession of a “supercavitation high-speed missile torpedo.” For some time, there has been speculation that Iran may have acquired from the Russians or Chinese this torpedo capable of speeds of 250 knots.
The U.S. Navy has no defense against it, making U.S. warships such as aircraft carriers and other battle group ships vulnerable. A similar threat also comes from Iranian submarines.
The Strait of Hormuz, however, is not the only potential chokepoint where oil supplies could be cut in the event of a crisis. Throughout the world, there are some six such chokepoints of which some are in areas currently embroiled in serious turmoil and political tension.
In October Iranian media outlets reported that as part of its plan to enhance its maritime defence, Iran has developed an advanced, indigenously constructed Sina-class missile boat. Iran’s defence minister claimed that the ship is equipped with radar, weapons, electronic and telecommunication systems, as well as advanced navigation technology.
The Iranian navy is transforming from a littoral force into a blue water force, according to Iranian Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari. But there have been questions about the quality of that equipment and ships.
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