29 Mar 2024
Friday 10 May 2013 - 23:44
Story Code : 296

The Story of the Strait of Hormuz and the Obama Letter

The Story of the Strait of Hormuz and the Obama Letter
President Barak Obamaentered the White Housein 2009 carrying an olive branch for Iran, determined to show the world thatWashingtonwould not play the villain in a relationship marked by blood and bitterness over three decades, but now it seems that Obamas olive branch to Iran turned into sanctions hammer.

At present, tensions overIran's nuclear program have escalated to their highest level in years. Tehranis threatening to block the Strait of Hormuzand the chances of a miscalculation that could lead to a military clash - and a global oil crisis - appear to be rising.

Diplomacy has led to harsher tactics, with Obama and his European allies trying to isolate the Islamic republic with the toughest sanctions ever.

U.S.-Irantensions continued to ratchet up, and a string of events made it look to the outside world like an undeclared "soft war" was under way.

TheUnited StatesaccusedIran's shadowy Quds Forcein a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador toWashington.

TheStuxnetcomputer virus attacked centrifuges atIran'sNatanzenrichment facility.Iranaccused Israeland the United States. Late last year, theUnited Stateslost a spy drone inIran, unmasking an aggressive surveillance program. Also there have been unexplained explosions at an Iranian missile depot and five nuclear scientists have been killed inIran- the latest on Wednesday.But US denied any involvement in above issues.

Iranreacted to those events and the stepped-up economic sanctions as if under siege. It threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil shipping lane.

According to US officials, the Obama administration is relying on an indirect channel of communication to warnIrans supreme leader, AyatollahAli Khamenei, that closing theStrait of Hormuz a red line that would provoke an American response.

Senior Obama administration officials have said publicly that Iran would cross a red line if it made good on recent threats to close the Strait of Hormuz. Another American official added this past weekend that the US would take action and reopen the strait which could be accomplished only by military means.

Administration officials and Iran analysts said they believe that Irans threats to close the strait, coming amid deep frictions overIrans nuclear program and possible sanctions, were bluster and an attempt to drive up the price of oil.

On Sunday, Iran's Foreign Ministry said it has received a US message regarding the Strait of Hormuz via three different channels.

The US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice had handed a letter to Iran's Ambassador to the UN Mohammad Khazaei; the Swiss Ambassador to Tehran [Livia Leu Agosti] also conveyed the same thing; and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani delivered the same message to Iranian officials, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said.

Mehmanparast said Iran is studying the letter and will respond if necessary.The indirect communications channel was chosen to underscore privately to Iran shows the depth of American concern about rising tensions over the strait.

Previously, Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected an offer by US President Barack Obama to open a new era in relations until Tehran could see real changes in US policies.

"The new US president sends us a Persian New Year greeting message but in the same accuses us again to support terrorism and to be after nuclear weapons.

"He offers us his hand with a velvet glove under which, however, might be a cast-iron hand, he added.

However, There is some questionsunanswered.What would happen at the end of the story of the Strait? Will Iran respond to the letter? What would be the answer? They are all covered in a veil of ambiguity.

 

Sources: The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, Press TV

 
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T.H. Oughtful
A "red line" if the Suez Canal is closed. Ok, is that like the red line in Syria?