Foreign Correspondence

[Amaunet]

Iran is now in control of the Strait of Hormuz through its occupation of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunb Islands and could close it to all commerce, including the oil trade.

The UAE and Iran continue to dispute the ownership of the three islands.
#msg-3136614

The following excerpts are dated, since then Iran’s military capabilities have improved and the strait is narrow enough for Iran to make things very difficult for trespassers. Iran might not be able to block the strait by sinking tankers but their subs, new weaponry and strategic position could make it impassable. Or as you so eloquently put someone could bomb it to hell.

It is China who will use the electronic subs on our carriers, I will see if I can find that reference.

It is unlikely that Iran could close the strait even if it wanted to do so. Milton R. Copulos, director of energy policy studies at the conservative Heritage Foundation, likens those who warn of such a threat to Chicken Little. He notes that since the strait is 30 miles wide at its narrowest point, blocking it by sinking a tanker is "simple fantasy." Nor could Iran effectively mine the strait: it has neither the mines nor the minelayers. Finally, the threat of Iranian navy interdiction of tanker traffic is grossly overstated. As Copulos states, "According to U.S. naval officers . . . the Iranian fleet, such as it is, is in such a state of disrepair that none of its ships can stay on patrol for more than a few days at a time without breaking down and having to be towed back to port."[24] 1985
http://216.239.53.104/search?q=cache:XRmkxZGJfCQJ:www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa046.html+block+Hormuz+Stra....

Hormuz, however, is less vulnerable than it seems. Sunken tankers or other large ships, for example, would not block the strait – even though many people think so. It may look narrow on a map, but the strait is actually 45 kilometers wide (28 miles) and, in places, 88 meters deep (290 feet). "We would simply mark the ships with buoys and sail around them," one senior Omani navy commander said. Mining the strait, he added, was equally improbable." May/June 1983
http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:tCNy5IBuKxUJ:www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/198303/oman-going.str....