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UK warns Iran over oil passageway threat
LONDON: Britain's defense secretary warned Iran Thursday that any attempt to block the key global oil passageway the Strait of Hormuz would be illegal and unsuccessful -- hinting at a robust international response.
Yessir, Senator, the International Criminal Court and the Arab League will be on them like Charlie Sheen all over a cheap date...
During his first visit to the Pentagon for talks with US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Philip Hammond told the Atlantic Council in Washington that the presence of British and American naval ships in the Persian Gulf would ensure the route is kept open for trade.
But having Britain and the US take action is not 'international' enough: at least, that's what Democrats said in 2003...
Iran has threatened to close the route in possible retaliation to new US and European economic sanctions, a tactic the US already has said it would not tolerate.

"Disruption to the flow of oil through Strait of Hormuz would threaten regional and global economic growth. Any attempt by Iran to do this would be illegal and unsuccessful," said Hammond, who was appointed as Britain's top defense minister in October.

Though Hammond did not specifically threaten a military response if Iran blocks the movement of oil tankers, he warned Tehran that both British and US forces would be close at hand.

"It is in all our interests that the arteries of global trade are kept free, opening and running," Hammond said. "For example, our joint naval presence in the Arabian Gulf, something our regional partners appreciate, is key to keeping the Strait of Hormuz open for international trade."

US officials have said the Navy’s Fifth Fleet, based in nearby Bahrain, is prepared to defend the shipping route.
Posted by: Steve White 2012-01-06
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=336578