AFP, Washington, 29 Dec 2011 – The United States said Thursday that Iran has exhibited ‘irrational behavior’ by threatening to close a major oil shipping lane it also needs.
‘We’ve seen quite a bit of irrational behavior from Iran recently,’ State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said when asked about Tehran’s threat to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a critical passage for over a third of the world’s tanker-borne oil.
‘One can only guess that the international sanctions are beginning to feel the pinch, and that the ratcheting up of pressure, particularly on their oil sector, is pinching in a way that is causing them to lash out.’
The United States and the 27-nation European Union are considering new sanctions aimed at Iran’s oil and financial sectors. But EU governments have been divided over whether to impose an embargo on Iranian crude.
Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi has warned that ‘not a drop of oil will pass through the Strait of Hormuz’ if the West adopts sanctions on Iran’s oil exports in a bid to curb its nuclear ambitions.
The closure could cause havoc on world oil markets, disrupting the fragile global economy, although analysts say the Islamic republic is unlikely to take such drastic steps as it relies on the route for its own oil exports.
Japan is opposed to stopping its oil imports from Iran, and China, a major importer of Iranian oil and investor in Iran’s energy sector, is expected to oppose sanctions on the oil sector.