The Strait of Hormuz has become the latest focal point in a long list of disputes between the United States and Iran. On December 25, 2011, as Iran conducted its fourth day of naval drills near the strait, at the entrance to the oil-rich Persian Gulf, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi warned that "if sanctions are adopted against Iranian oil, not a drop of oil will pass through the Strait of Hormuz." Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, the commander of Iran's navy, boasted that closing the Strait of Hormuz would "be easier than drinking a glass of water."::::::::
Aerial Photograph of the Hormuz Straits, by Foreign Policy Journal
Sayyari's statement was swiftly followed by a warning from Washington that any attempt to close the strait would "not be tolerated." Following these exchanges, the price of oil jumped by $4 a barrel and has remained over $100 a barrel even as Iran concluded its 10-day naval exercises and despite a return of Libyan oil to world markets and weakening U.S. demand. Here is a rundown of what is at stake and what might be done to avoid a dangerous conflict in a militarily and economically vital world region.
Click here to read Karam's entire January 12, 2012 article in the Foreign Policy Journal.
I have a law degree (Stanford, 66') but have never practiced. Instead, from 1967 through 1977, I tried to contribute to the revolution in America. As unsuccessful as everyone else over that decade, in 1978 I went to work for the U.S. Forest (
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