Pentagon: Iranian Disruption of Oil Route 'Will Not Be Tolerated'

U.S. military officials warned Wednesday that any attempt by Iran to disrupt oil shipments at the mouth of the Persian Gulf "will not be tolerated," as Iran threatened for the second day in a row to interfere with the critical passageway. 

Pentagon spokesman George Little describe the route, the Strait of Hormuz, as an "economic lifeline" vital to stability in the region. He said any attempt to block it would be "problematic." 

Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Navy's 5th fleet warned Iran against disrupting shipments in the strait, saying the U.S. Navy keeps a "robust presence in the region" and is "ready to counter malevolent actions to ensure freedom of navigation." 

"Anyone who threatens to disrupt freedom of navigation in an international strait is clearly outside the community of nations; any disruption will not be tolerated," Fleet spokeswoman Lt. Rebecca Rebarich said. 

The warning comes as Iranian officials stand by earlier threats to use the passageway to retaliate if the West imposes new sanctions targeting Tehran's oil exports over the country's suspect nuclear program. 

Iran's navy chief warned Wednesday that his country can close the waterway. "Closing the Strait of Hormuz is very easy for Iranian naval forces," Adm. Habibollah Sayyari told state-run Press TV. "Iran has comprehensive control over the strategic waterway."

On Tuesday, Vice President Mohamed Reza Rahimi also threatened to close the strait, cutting off oil exports, if the West imposes sanctions on Iran's oil shipments. 

All of this comes at a tense time, as the Iranian navy carries out a 10-day naval exercise that includes dispatching warships and drones over the vital waterway. The exercises are being carried out on the eastern side of the strait and down into the Gulf of Aden and could put Iranian ships on a collision course with U.S. naval vessels. 

The strait is just 34 miles wide, and about 20 percent of the world's oil shipments pass through. 

The mere threat of closing the strait has caused oil prices to rise above $100 a barrel. 

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/12/28/pentagon-iranian-disruption-oil-route-will-not-be-tolerated/#ixzz1hvOQK0B2