ABU DHABI — Gulf Cooperation Council countries adopted a contingency plan yesterday in case of a blockage of shipping through the mouths of the Gulf and the Red Sea, the Wam reported. The move came amid tension between the United States and Iran over its nuclear programme, and a warning this month by Iran’s supreme leader that world energy flows could be endangered by any US ‘wrong move’ against Teheran.
Wam said transport ministers of the six Gulf countries “adopted an emergency plan to be implemented on (Gulf Arab) seaports if Hormuz and Bab Al Mandab straits are closed”. The agency gave no details of the plan, agreed at a meeting here.
IranÂ’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali KhameneiÂ’s remarks were interpreted by some oil traders as a hint that the Islamic Republic could deliberately disrupt energy shipments, using its strategic position on the Strait of Hormuz. Some of the oil heading westwards by tanker from the Gulf passes through Bab Al Mandab at the mouth of the Red Sea, which leads to the Suez Canal and the Suez-Mediterranean pipelines. | Strait of Hormuz being blocked by Iran is a no-brainer, seeing that it's in their backyard. Bab Al Mandab is way over the other side of the Arabian Peninsula. The Iranian navy and air force have no chance of making it there alive, so the GCC must be worried about terrorist attacks coming from Yemen or Somolia region. An Iranian Q-ship being sunk in the narrow gap is also a possibility. |
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