Iran Ramps Up Gulf Tension, Global Economies on Alert
Iran reiterated Wednesday that the United States will face the full might of its military forces if it insists on staying in the Persian Gulf region.
On numerous declarations aired by the Islamic Republic's media outlets, high-ranking Iranian officials decried the presence of U.S. military forces in the region, which according to Defence Minister Ahmed Vahidi only enhances the turbulence disrupting the peace in the region.
"The presence of forces from beyond the region has no result but turbulence. We have said the presence of forces from beyond the region in the Persian Gulf is not needed and is harmful," Agence France-Presse reported Masoud Jazayeri as saying.
The deputy chief of the elite Revolutionary Guard advised Washington to leave the Gulf once and for all.
"Since you've gone, don't come back, otherwise you'll be responsible for any problems," Jazayeri said.
Iran was reacting to America's decision to send the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis briefly into the Gulf.
Military experts view the brief display as a show of force to warn Iran that misbehavior will not be tolerated.
The latest statements issued by Iranian officials, only proved that Iran has been rattled, leading to its government betraying traces of weaknes, U.S. obersvers said.
Notwithstanding the threats coming from Iran, which was earlier backed by a series missile test firings, the Pentagon said more carriers will visit the region to ensure that the Strait of Hormuz will not be blockaded by the Iranian navy.
"We are committed to protecting maritime freedoms that are the basis for global prosperity; this is one of the main reasons our military forces operate in the region," the Pentagon was quoted by AFP as saying in a statement.
The confrontation heightened as the West, led by the U.S. and the European Union prepare fresh sanctions against Iran to force it to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
The new sanctions target banking and financial institutions, foremost of which is Iran's central bank, which handles its oil shipments, media reports said.
Economists, however, are wary that renewed tensions in the region, especially in the strategic strait that sees the passage of up to of 20 percent of the world's oil supply, could disrupt global commerce and hurt America the most.
"The consequences of any military action in the Middle East will be enormous. A spike in crude prices will kill off any recovery in the U.S.," commodity expert Nick Trevethan of ANZ Research told AFP.
The same goes with Europe, analysts said, which still struggles with financial crisis that threatens not only the region's economies but also that of the rest of the world.