Some say the Iranian threat to close the Straights of Hormuz is over. Actually there never was a threat.
Trying to close the Straights would bring a full military response against Iran from U.S. forces in the Gulf, possibly other Arab states, and turn Tehran¹s few remaining international allies against Iran.
The Straights would seem to be an easy target, a bottleneck only about 30 miles across at its narrowest point between Iran and Oman.
Oil tankers carrying one-sixth of the world¹s oil supply pass through the Straights, exiting the
Persian Gulf into the Arabian Sea and on to market. The tankers move through two two-mile-wide shipping lanes, one entering the Gulf, one exiting.
Also, it is well known that closing the Straights would be a heavier blow to Iran stopping the approximately 2.5 billion barrels a day of oil it exports, which provide some 80 percent of its revenue.
Additionally, Iran has very little refining capability. Most of the country’s refining needs come from other Gulf states.
I don¹t think Iran willing to close the Straights because the consequences would cost them too much.
