Latest news with #IranNavy
New York Times
9 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Times
What Is the Strait of Hormuz, and Why Is It Important?
One way that Iran could potentially retaliate for the American strikes on three of its nuclear sites, analysts say, would be to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for oil and gas. In meetings at the White House, senior military officials have raised the need to prepare for that possibility, after Iranian officials threatened to mine the strait, a narrow 90-mile waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the open ocean. Such a move could pin any U.S. Navy ships in the Persian Gulf, American military officials say. In more than a week of fighting between Israel and Iran, Israel's military has steered clear of hitting Iranian naval assets. So while Iran's ability to respond to attacks has been severely damaged, it has a robust navy and maintains operatives across the region, where the United States has more than 40,000 troops. Iran also has an array of mines that its navy could lay in the Strait of Hormuz, which hugs a portion of Iran's southern border. A quarter of the world's oil and 20 percent of the world's liquefied natural gas passes through the Strait of Hormuz, so mining the choke point would cause oil and gas prices to soar. The majority of those fuels go to Asia, meaning that countries there would most likely be severely affected by any closure. The United States and other countries would feel the effects in the form of higher energy costs. Closing the waterway could isolate American minesweepers in the Persian Gulf on one side of the strait. Two defense officials indicated that the Navy was looking to disperse its ships in the gulf so that they would be less vulnerable. A Navy official declined to comment, citing operational security. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Even before the U.S. military struck Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend, Iran vowed that it would respond forcefully to any attack by American forces — potentially setting off a cycle of escalation. Since the strikes, Iran appears to be weighing its options. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yemen Online
23-04-2025
- Yemen Online
Iran Seizes Two Ships and Issues Jail Sentences in Fuel Smuggling Crackdown
Iran's efforts at stopping fuel smuggling are continuing with local media outlets citing additional cases of vessels being seized and crews prosecuted. An Iranian court is reported to have handed down stiff jail sentences in two cases today and hours later the semi-governmental news agency Fars reported two more vessels have been apprehended. According to the media reports, Iran claims that it has seized 4.5 million liters of smuggled diesel fuel alone this year. The country's low price of diesel and gasoline is reported to encourage smuggling in the Persian Gulf region. Iran offers lower prices for the fuels than its neighboring Arab states. Fars reports two vessels registered in Tanzania, which it names as Sea Ranger and Salama, were stopped today, April 22. The vessels were reported to be near the central district port city of Bushehr on the Persian Gulf. A total of 25 'foreign crew' were reportedly detained and 1.5 million liters of diesel fuel seized. Both vessels were being directed back to the Bushehr Port where the media said the vessels were being handed over by the Iran Navy for 'legal proceedings.' Separately, Iranian media reported a court in the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan issued judgment today, April 22, on two other foreign crews. It said one of the unnamed vessels was caught with 4.25 million liters of smuggled fuel and that the captain and two 'deputies' were each sentenced to five years in jail. Collectively a fine of $5.37 million was also ordered. The second captain and his two top 'deputies' were also sentenced to five years in jail for smuggling 1.7 million liters of fuel. They were ordered to pay a total of $3 million in fines. In both cases, Iran said the vessels would be released once the fines were paid. The reports also highlight that on March 31, Iran confiscated two vessels, Star 1 and Vintage. They were stopped in the Persian Gulf with a total of 3 million liters of diesel fuel. Iranian forces have previously said they increased the monitoring of vessel activity. They have vowed to crack down on fuel smuggling.
