2011–12 Strait of Hormuz dispute

2011–12 Strait of Hormuz dispute
Strait of Hormuz highlighted by a red arrow on the image
Date 27 December 2011–Ongoing Location Strait of Hormuz Result Iran threatens to close the Strait of Hormuz Multi-national flotilla established in Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea off coast of Iran EU sanctions enforced, banning the export of oil from Iran to the EU countries and freezing Iranian assets
Belligerents
United States Navy[1] Royal Navy[1] French Navy[1]	Iranian Navy
Strength
Confirmed: 2 aircraft carriers 4 destroyers (3 Arleigh and 1 Daring) 4 Type 23 frigates 2 Ticonderoga class cruisers	Unknown

The 2011–12 Strait of Hormuz dispute is an ongoing dispute between a coalition of countries and Iran. The dispute arose on 27 December 2011, when an Iranian Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz.^[2]

Subsequently, a number of naval drills and missile tests were carried out by Iran. A coalition of countries responded by sending a flotilla of warships to deter any Iranian attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz and warned Iran publicly and through letters not to close the Strait.

The dispute was interjected by an European Union sanction banning oil exports from Iran to Europe on 23 January 2012 in an attempt to deter Iran from continuing with their nuclear program. Oil exports contribute to about 80% of Iranian public revenue,^[3] with roughly 20% being exported to Europe. Asian countries such as Japan and South Korea, which both account for 26% of Iran's oil exports have expressed a willingness to reduce oil exports from Iran.^[4]

Background

The Strait is situated off the coast of Iran and is a recognised international trade route. The strait is narrowest at 34 miles and is recognised as a naval choke point. Oil is a key commodity with approximately 20% of seaborne oil in the world transported via the Strait of Hormuz.^[5]

The Strait of Hormuz, has been the scene of a stand-off between Iran and the United States before. On 18 April 1988, the U.S. Navy waged a one-day battle against Iranian forces in and around the strait. The battle, dubbed Operation Praying Mantis by the U.S. side, was launched in retaliation for the 14 April mining of the USS Samuel B. Roberts by Iran. U.S. forces sank one frigate, one gunboat, and as many as six armed speedboats in the engagement and seriously damaged a second frigate.

Dispute

On 27 December 2011, Iranian Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi threatened to cut off oil supply from the Strait of Hormuz should economic sanctions limit, or cut off, Iranian oil exports.^[6] To coincide with this threat, Iran carried out a 10 day military exercise in international waters near the Strait of Hormuz.^[7] The United States countered this exercise with an increased naval presence in and around the Persian Gulf, with the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis pictured by Iranian reconnaissance in the Persian Gulf.^[7] A U.S. Fifth Fleet spokeswoman said in response that the Fleet was "always ready to counter malevolent actions", whilst Admiral Habibollah Sayari of the Iranian navy claimed that cutting off oil shipments would be "easy".^[8]

On 3 January 2012, Iran threatened to take action if the U.S. Navy moves an aircraft carrier back into the Persian Gulf. Iranian Army chief Ataollah Salehi said the United States had moved an aircraft carrier out of the Gulf because of Iran's naval exercises, and Iran would take action if the ship returned. "Iran will not repeat its warning...the enemy's carrier has been moved to the Gulf of Oman because of our drill. I recommend and emphasize to the American carrier not to return to the Persian Gulf", he said.^[9]

The U.S. Navy spokesman Commander Bill Speaks quickly responded that deployment of U.S. military assets would continue as has been the custom stating: "The U.S. Navy operates under international maritime conventions to maintain a constant state of high vigilance in order to ensure the continued, safe flow of maritime traffic in waterways critical to global commerce."^[10]

The U.S. led sanctions may be “beginning to bite” as Iranian currency has recently lost some 12% of its value. Further pressure on Iranian currency was added by French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe on Tuesday calling for "stricter sanctions" and urged EU countries to follow the US in freezing Iranian central bank assets and imposing an embargo on oil exports.^[11]

On 7 January 2012, the United Kingdom announced that it would be sending the Type 45 destroyer HMS Daring to the Persian Gulf. Daring, which is the lead ship of her class is claimed to be one of the "most advanced warships" in the world, and will undertake its first mission in the Persian Gulf.^[12] The British Government however have said that this move has been long-planned, as Daring will replace another Armilla patrol frigate.^[13]

On 9 January 2012, Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi denied that Iran had ever claimed that it would close the Strait of Hormuz, saying that "the Islamic Republic of Iran is the most important provider of security in the strait...if one threatens the security of the Persian Gulf, then all are threatened."^[14]

The Iranian Foreign Ministry confirmed on 16 January 2012 that it has received a letter from the United States concerning the Strait of Hormuz, “via three different channels.” Authorities were considering whether to reply, although the contents of the letter were not divulged.^[15] The US had previously announced its intention to warn Iran that closing the Strait of Hormuz is a “red line” that would provoke an American response.^[16] Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said this past weekend that the United States would “take action and reopen the strait,” which could be accomplished only by military means, including minesweepers, warship escorts and potentially airstrikes. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta told troops in Texas on Thursday that the United States would not tolerate Iran’s closing of the strait. Nevertheless Iran continued to discuss the impact of shutting the Strait on world oil markets, saying that any disruption of supply would cause a shock to markets that “no country” could manage.^[17]

By 23 January, a flotilla had been established by countries opposing Iran's threats to close the Hormuz Strait.^[18] These ships operated in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea off the coast off Iran. The flotilla included two American aircraft carriers (the USS Carl Vinson and USS Abraham Lincoln), three destroyers (USS Momsen, USS Sterett, USS Halsey) and seven British warships including the destroyer Daring and a number of Type 23 frigates (HMS Westminster, HMS Argyll and HMS Somerset).^[19]

On 24 January tensions rose further after the European Union imposed sanctions on Iranian oil. A senior member of Iran's parliament said that the Islamic Republic would close the entry point to the Gulf if new sanctions block its oil exports.^[20] "If any disruption happens regarding the sale of Iranian oil, the Strait of Hormuz will definitely be closed," Mohammad Kossari, deputy head of parliament's foreign affairs and national security committee, told the semi-official Fars News Agency.

Consequences

Despite an initial 2% rise in oil prices, oil markets ultimately did not react significantly to the Iranian threat, with oil analyst Thorbjoern Bak Jensen of Global Risk Management concluding that "they cannot stop the flow for a longer period due to the amount of U.S. hardware in the area".^[21] While earlier statements from Iran had little effect on global oil markets, coupled with the new sanctions, these terse comments from Iran are driving crude futures higher, up over 4%.^{[citation needed]} Pressure on prices reflect a combination of uncertainty driven further by China’s recent response – reducing oil January 2012 purchases from Iran by 50% compared to those made in 2011.^{[citation needed]}

A closure of the Strait of Hormuz would inflate oil prices, not only in the west, but in Asian countries such as Japan, India and South Korea.^[22] All three countries collectively account for 42% of Iranian oil exports – Japan 17%, South Korea 9%, and India 16%.^[23] China is another importer of Iranian oil, of which it accounts for 20% of Iran's oil exports.^[23] In addition, the oil exports from countries in the Persian Gulf such as Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq would be hampered as a supply channel would be cut off if the Strait was closed or hindered.^[22]

Warships

The USS Abraham Lincoln completed a number of manoeuvres through the Strait of Hormuz.

A number of countries dispatched warships to the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea in an effort to ward off any Iranian closure of the Hormuz Strait.

Known warships operating off the coast of Iran – as of the 24 January 2012^[24]

United States Navy

• USS Carl Vinson
• USS Abraham Lincoln
• USS Halsey
• USS Momsen
• USS Sterett
• USS Bunker Hill
• USS Cape St. George

HMS Daring, the Royal Navy's newest warship was dispatched to the area on 6 January 2012.

Royal Navy

• HMS Argyll
• HMS Somerset
• RFA Lyme Bay
• HMS Ramsey
• HMS Echo
• HMS Daring^[25]
• HMS Westminster^[26]
• HMS St Albans^[27]
• Trafalgar-class submarine^[28]

French Navy

• La Motte-Picquet^[29]

Iranian naval forces

Small boats in asymmetric warfare

On 26 January, the Christian Science Monitor wrote:

Iran's strategy of asymmetric warfare recognizes that, since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has little chance of winning any face-to-face military contest with powerful enemies like the United States.

Instead, Iran aims to "exploit enemy vulnerabilities through the used of 'swarming' tactics by well-armed small boats and fast-attack craft, to mount surprise attacks at unexpected times and places" which will "ultimately destroy technologically superior enemy forces," writes Iranian military expert Fariborz Haghshenass in a 2008 study based on published doctrines of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).^[30]

—^[31]' Peterson

Teheran can accomplish its objectives simply by clogging the strait, adds the Monitor. The Monitor also makes reference to Millennium Challenge 2002, a major war game exercise conducted by the United States armed forces in mid-2002, in which Red forces, commanded by retired Marine Corps Lt. General Paul K. Van Riper, used old methods to evade Blue's sophisticated electronic surveillance network, and a significant portion of Blue's navy was "sunk".

See also

• 2007 Iranian seizure of Royal Navy personnel
• 2008 U.S.–Iranian naval dispute

References