January 2012

Straits of Hormuz Hotspot – The Iranian trump card,  as they see it,  could now be “played”  and it will hurt. The US State Department were/are threatening to apply enhanced sanctions to the Iranian nuclear programme and seemingly Tehran was/is trying to create a distraction by conducting 10 days of exercises near the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, including test firing several missiles.   The Strait of Hormuz, is the 34 mile wide channel into the Persian Gulf through which much of the world’s traded oil has to pass - not much room to manoeuvre at laden Supertanker.

The UN Security Council has already passed four (4) rounds of sanctions against Iran for refusing to halt uranium enrichment and has the US Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain to protect their interests.  During the Iranian exercises the US Navy Aircraft Carrier USS JOHN C.STENNIS moved into the Persian Gulf obsessively to conduct operations in support of the ongoing Afghan operations.   The clearly annoyed some parties in Tehran who began to threaten to close the Hormuz Strait should the carrier return – a political hot potato if ever there was one.   In the event of any British involvement in events the assets available on station include the :

·         Fleet Submarine             TRIUMPH                                  Recently sailed Bahrain

·         Type 45 Destroyer         DARING                                    To sail from UK mid January

·         Type 23 Frigates            SOMERSET                               Red Sea

                                          MONTROSE                              Persian Gulf

                                          ST. ALBANS                Persian Gulf

·         Survey Ship                     ECHO                                         Persian Gulf

·         Minecountermeasures   MIDDLETON/QUORN            Bahrain Waters

                                                 PEMBROKE/RAMSEY               Bahrain Waters

·         RFA Repair Ship             RFA DILIGENCE                      Bahrain

·         RFA Fleet Tanker          RFA WAVE KNIGHT               Arabian Gulf Ready Tanker

·         RFA Stores Ship            RFA FORT VICTORIA            Indian Ocean (Yemen Coast)

·         RFA Landing Ship           RFA LYME BAY                        Bahrain (Undergoing Maintenance)

·         AWSR Sealift Ship        m.v. ANVIL POINT         Bahrain Waters