30 December 11
standoff between Iran and the US over Tehran's threats to close the
strategic Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers has worsened, with warships
from each side giving weight to an increasingly bellicose exchange of
words.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards rejected a warning that the US military would "not tolerate" such a closure, saying they would act decisively "to protect our vital interests".
Iran said it would shut the strait if the West imposed more sanctions over its nuclear programme.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on
Thursday that Iran had exhibited "irrational behaviour" by threatening
to close the strait.
"One can only guess that the international sanctions
are beginning to feel the pinch, and that the ratcheting up of pressure,
particularly on their oil sector, is pinching in a way that is causing
them to lash out," she said. READ MORE
No comments:
Post a Comment