"(CNN) -- It is just 34 miles (55 kilometers) wide and dotted with islands and rocky outcrops, a channel that links the Persian Gulf with the Indian Ocean. Like many marine "chokepoints," the Strait of Hormuz has long commanded the attention of empires and their navies.
And in recent decades it has become even more critical: one-third of the oil carried by sea passes through Hormuz -- that's some 15 million barrels every day, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Now Iran's Vice-President is warning that the Islamic Republic could block the Strait if sanctions are imposed on its exports of crude. France, Britain and Germany have proposed such sanctions as punishment for Iran's lack of co-operation on its nuclear program."
'via Blog this'
This is a setup for World War Three. Iran is going to have a nuke by hook or by crook. The determination of the rest of the world to make this an impossibility is like telling a challenger in the ring to concede before the first punch is thrown. The only way to bring this to a halt is to forget sanctions and have a conference that deals with what would need to be done to make Iran not have a nuclear weapon. This would lead to the logic of genuine global disarmament, In such a context there would be at least some reason to expect Iran to cease making a bomb. This situation plays into the muscular, macho US sub-personality, most dangerous when not modified by the more-pacific Uncle Sam.
