U.S. Naval 5th fleet command warns Iran any oil disruption through the Strait of Hormuz would not be tolerated

December 28, 2011 – MIDDLE EAST – A spokeswoman for the U.S. Navy’s 5th fleet is warning Iran that any disruption of traffic flowing through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil route, “will not be tolerated.” Iran’s navy chief warned earlier Wednesday that the Islamic Republic was ready and willing to close the strategic waterway if the West imposes news sanctions targeting Tehran’s oil exports over the country’s suspect nuclear program. “Anyone who threatens to disrupt freedom of navigation in an international strait is clearly outside the community of nations; any disruption will not be tolerated,” said Fleet spokeswoman Lt. Rebecca Rebarich. She said the U.S. Navy is “always ready to counter malevolent actions to ensure freedom of navigation.” Iran’s navy chief warned Wednesday that his country can easily close the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, the passageway through which a sixth of the world’s oil flows. It was the second such warning in two days. On Tuesday, Vice President Mohamed Reza Rahimi threatened to close the strait, cutting off oil exports, if the West imposes sanctions on Iran’s oil shipments. With concern growing over a possible drop-off in Iranian oil supplies, a senior Saudi oil official said Gulf Arab nations are ready to offset any loss of Iranian crude. That reassurance led to a drop in world oil prices. In New York, benchmark crude fell 77 cents to $100.57 a barrel in morning trading. Brent crude fell 82 cents to $108.45 a barrel in London. “Closing the Strait of Hormuz is very easy for Iranian naval forces,’ Adm. Habibollah Sayyari told state-run Press TV. “Iran has comprehensive control over the strategic waterway,” the navy chief said. The threats underline Iranian concern that the West is about to impose new sanctions that could target Tehran’s vital oil industry and exports. –SF Chronicle