Another Red Sea Target Under Fire,
Iranian Terrorist General Soleimani Threatens
London,
28 July - General Qassem
Soleimani commander of the Iranian Regime’s terrorist Quds force
threatened President Trump this week, targeting a major Red Sea chokepoint.
"The
Red Sea which was secure is no longer secure for the presence of American
(military) ... The Quds force and I are your match. We don't go to sleep at
night before thinking about you,” Iran's top general said in a speech from Hamedan,
Iran, in which, according to local media, he addressed the American president
directly.
"If
you begin the war, we will end the war.”
Soleimani
was responding to Trump’s Sunday tweet warning that Iran would face
"consequences the likes of which few thro
President Hassan
Rouhani threatening that war with Iran would be "the mother of all wars.”
Soleimani's
mention of the Red Sea signaled Iran’s willingness to disrupt oil shipments in
the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — the world's fourth-largest oil chokepoint — via its
proxies there.
It is
believed that Iran will use Yemen's Houthi rebels, who are already ramping up
missile attacks on Saudi targets. On Wednesday, Riyadh announced that two Saudi
oil carriers were attacked by Houthi missile strikes in the Bab el-Mandeb
Strait, which separates Yemen and East Africa and connects the Gulf of Aden to
the Red Sea. The kingdom has temporarily suspended all oil shipments through
the pass.
Soleimani's
direct reference to the Bab el-Mandeb on Thursday, "is a signal that
Tehran has options for escalation.” Bab el-Mandeb sees about 5 million barrels
per day (bpd) of oil, which is small compared to the 17 million that passes
through the Strait of Hormuz, on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula.
Increased
Houthi rebel attacks on tankers heightens the chance that one will actually be
sunk. Then, the U.S. could be forced to become more actively engaged. As well,
crisis in the Bab el-Mandeb causes fears over Hormuz and drives oil prices up.
The U.S.
is preparing to reimpose sanctions on Iran as part of its withdrawal from the
JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), also known as the Iran nuclear
deal, that allowed economic relief for Iran in exchange for curbs on its
nuclear program. The Trump administration has mandated that all countries wind
their imports of Iranian crude down to zero by November 4th, in addition to
deploying sanctions on a range of other products and financial activities.
Iran
threatens that if it is unable to trade its oil, other countries will be
stopped as well, citing its willingness to close the Strait of Hormuz, through
which some 30 percent of the
world's oil shipments pass.
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