Iran has attacked US bases in the Persian Gulf, but being nice about it they let the US know beforehand. This was following the favour the US gave Iran in letting them know the US would strike their nuclear research facilities, which allowed Iran ample time to move their stock of depleted uranium.
I looked at what impacts Iran if they shut the Strait of Hormuz? Well, not a lot. Their main port at Bandar Abbas sits at the entrance to the strait, so their ships could easily move in and out unaffected. However, their ports farther west would be closed down.
Iran then has three other options; they can move their oil products across the Caspian Sea and through Russia via the Volga river, utilising the Volga-Don Canal and the Volga Baltic Waterways. Both of these routes lead to the open ocean. Then, the third way is overland by using the Iran-China Overland Corridor.
Bear in mind, Americans seem to overplay the importance of oil exports to Iran. Their economy is effectively a closed loop and they only need to export to pay for those things they don't make themselves, and that's not a lot of things. Iran are fairly self-sufficient, making cars, trucks, construction equipment, steel, cement, etc. They do have an electrical energy deficiency, thus they import energy from Turkey and Azerbaijan. Add higher tech, which they can buy from China.
In a future post, I may take the time to get all historical. Already I've seen Iran referencing Cyrus the Great!! He's c.500 BC, and the man who ended the Babylonian Captivity. He freed the Jews and then paid to rebuild Jerusalem out of his own money. But then, the Jews owed the Persians so you could argue that debt was repaid when they served under Xerxes the Great when taking Athens and dealing with those heathen Spartans. Iran seem to have overlooked the latter matter, but you get an idea of how long their memories last.
Looking for a contrary view? Study the video where an academic from Tehran points out the hypocrisy of the West:
No comments:
Post a Comment