by Reuters and Israel Hayom Staff
As Iran's Revolutionary Guards threaten to close off the Strait of Hormuz to all oil shipments, U.S. Navy says it stands ready to ensure the free flow of commerce
Tensions between Iran and the United States
over oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz rose Thursday, with
Iran saying that if it is blocked from shipping oil through the strait
it will block all others from doing so too, and the U.S. responding that
the U.S. Navy stands ready to ensure free navigation and the flow of
commerce through the strategic waterway.
The European Union has proposed a plan for
salvaging the 2015 international nuclear deal with Iran in the wake of
the U.S. pullout in May and the reimposition of U.S. sanctions on Iran.
But Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday that the package does not go far enough.
Rouhani and some senior military commanders
have threatened in recent days to disrupt oil shipments from Persian
Gulf countries if the U.S. tries to strangle Iranian exports.
Foreign ministers from the U.K., China,
France, Germany and Russia met with the Iranian foreign minister in
Vienna this week for the first time since the U.S. left the pact, but
diplomats see limited scope for salvaging it.
"The objective is to save the deal," a
senior European diplomat said. "We've made some progress, including on
safeguarding some crude sales, but it's unlikely to meet Iranian
expectations. It's also not just about what the Europeans can do, but
also how the Chinese, Russians, Indians, others can contribute."
The pillars of the EU strategy are European
Investment Bank lending, a special measure to shield EU companies from
U.S. secondary sanctions, and a European Commission proposal that EU
governments make direct money transfers to Iran's central bank to avoid
U.S. penalties.
"The Iranians expect the others to say what
we are going to do to keep the deal alive. We will have to see if it is
going to be good enough for them," an EU source said.
Rouhani has warned that Iran could reduce its cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog,
the International Atomic Energy Agency, and has threatened U.S.
President Donald Trump of the "consequences" of fresh sanctions against
Iranian oil sales.
The parties were expected to meet again on
Friday for what Iranian officials described as an "important" meeting.
The officials said that the key for them is to ensure measures that
guarantee that oil exports can continue and that Iran will still have
access to the SWIFT international bank payments messaging system.
"SWIFT is the key, but Iran has to stay in
[the nuclear deal] at least until the end of the year to maintain
divisions between the EU and U.S., keep some credibility and try and
survive amidst forthcoming sanctions," said Sanam Vakil, an associate
fellow at the London-based think tank Chatham House.
While talks are expected to focus on the
nuclear deal, they come amid increasing rhetoric from the Trump
administration, which says Iran poses a serious security threat.
An Iranian diplomat based in Austria was
among four people arrested on suspicion of plotting an attack on an
Iranian opposition group in France last week.
The issue could be a distraction in the Vienna talks.
Iran has said it had nothing to do with the plot and has demanded the official be released without delay.
But any confirmation that Iranian
authorities were behind the plot could make it politically difficult for
European leaders to continue to back the nuclear deal.
Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of
the Revolutionary Guard Corps, said Thursday that if Iran cannot sell
its oil due to U.S. pressure, then no other Gulf country will be allowed
to do so either.
"We are hopeful that this plan expressed by
our president will be implemented if needed," he said. "We will make
the enemy understand that either all can use the Strait of Hormuz or no
one."
In response, U.S. Central Command spokesman
Navy Captain Bill Urban said, "The U.S. and its partners provide and
promote security and stability in the region."
Asked what would be the U.S. naval reaction
if Iran blocks the strait, he said, "Together, we stand ready to ensure
the freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce wherever
international law allows."
The Revolutionary Guards' naval arm lacks a
strong conventional fleet. However, it has many speedboats and portable
anti-ship missile launchers and can lay mines.
A senior U.S. military leader said in 2012
that the Guards have the ability to block the strait "for a period of
time," but the U.S. would take action to reopen it in such an event.
Reuters and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/2018/07/06/us-iran-tensions-rise-over-oil-route-as-eu-tries-to-save-nuclear-deal/
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