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Iran In The Strait Of Hormuz: An Analysis

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On December 28, 2011, Iran’s first Vice President Mohammad Rahimi clearly suggested that they could close the Strait of Hormuz in response to possible sanctions by Western countries (Library of Congress. Foreign Affairs Division & Library of Congress, 2012). The statement stirred up a sense of oil crisis among Japanese (Bradsher & Krauss, 2012). Dr. Daniel Yergin argues in the book the quest that there is a low probability of Iran blocking the sea lanes of communication (SLOC) in the Strait of Hormuz. However, He overlooks several ways in which Iran could interrupt the SLOC. Moreover, there are potential risks in the SLOC such as piracy which costs a large sum of ransom money. Therefore, in order for Japan to become an energy secure country, it needs to take the geopolitical and security situations in the SLOC from the Middle East to Japan into account and respond accordingly. …show more content…
Yergin cites several factors that would deter Iran from threatening the SLOC in the strait of Hormuz. These include geographical traits of the strait that weaken the effectiveness of Iranian weapons, U.S. military superiority, and the economic damage to Iran’s oil industry that would result from an interruption of the SLOC (Yergin, 2012). However, from a military perspective, there are several feasible ways Iran can threaten the SLOC such as underwater mines. Some mines can be laid covertly by submarines, which allows them to avoid detection by enemy nations. This element of secrecy gives mines tremendous psychological influence because there is no way for opponents to know when and where they laid. Furthermore, while Iran’s economy may incur damage, it is not enough to deter them from blocking the

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