The Strait of Hormuz connects two gulfs - Oman and Persian, therefore it is a strategically important object. Iran owns its northern coast, and Oman and the United Arab Emirates own its southern coast. In the strait there are two transport channels 2.5 kilometers wide, and between them there is a buffer zone five kilometers wide. The Strait of Hormuz is the only waterway through which Arab gas and oil can be exported to third countries, such as the United States.
Etymology
The strait got its name from the island of Hormuz, and the island, in turn, has three options for the origin of the name. The first is in honor of the Persian god Ormuzd, and the second is from the Persian word, which means "date palm" in translation. And the third option is a local dialect called "hurmoz".
High-profile events
Operation Praying Mantis
April 18, 1988 duringIran's war with Iraq The US Navy carried out an operation in which the Persian and Gulf of Hormuz were involved. It was a response to the blowing up of an American ship on Iranian mines. As a result, the Sahand frigate and several small ships were sunk.
Plane crash
On July 3, 1988, US troops shot down an Iranian passenger plane, killing almost three hundred people. There are many versions about this event, and, undoubtedly, this is one of the bloodiest tragedies in the history of aviation.
US-Iranian Incident
On January 6, 2008, a number of Iranian patrol boats approached within 200 meters of US Navy vessels that command said were in international waters at the time. Subsequently, one of the captains of the American ships was provided with a record indicating that the boats threatened to open fire on the US ships. To this, Iran published its own recording, in which only regular radio traffic was present.
The threat of blocking the channel by Iran
On December 28, 2011, Muhammad Reza Rahimi expressed his strong dissatisfaction with the economic sanctions that the United States wanted to impose. He said that in the event of any pressure from America, oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz would be blocked, and after all, a fifth of all oil supplies pass through it.
The United States considered these empty threats, not attaching any importance to the words of the Iranianvice president. George Little, a Pentagon spokesman, said that the Strait of Hormuz is significant not only for them, but also for Iran itself. The US Navy expressed full combat readiness for possible actions at sea. Thus, if Iran nevertheless decides to block the strait, the United States will immediately take forceful measures in this regard. America believes that Iran has no right to close this sea route, as this is a direct violation of international law, which it will not tolerate.
Despite the warlike attitude of the States, the geographical features of the strait make military activity in this region difficult: it is rather narrow, so fast and small Iranian boats have an advantage over heavy American ships. Therefore, the United States found another solution to the problem: cooperation with Iran's neighbors in order to redirect oil by land without the participation of the Strait of Hormuz.
