\”We are determined to contribute to maritime security. \”Regardless of what might precipitate an entity or a country to attempt to close the strait.

That is approximately 25 million barrels per day. \”The analysis that I have certainly indicates that they (Iran) have capabilities which could certainly hazard the Straits of Hormuz,\” Adm. Israel has the Middle East\’s sole if undeclared nuclear arsenal. His remarks to the navy chiefs of the six Gulf Cooperation Council members at a meeting in the United Arab Emirates on maritime security echoed comments he made on Monday in the Fifth Fleet\’s Bahrain base.

\”I believe . it is an international affront that is saying to the world that the nearly 40 percent of the world\’s oil and the significant amount of natural gas which goes through the strait is now being held hostage by a single country,\” he said. . Cosgriff, told Gulf navy chiefs.

The strait between Iran and Oman is a vital conduit for energy supplies, with as much as 40 percent of the world\’s crude passing through the waterway. . Iran will not attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz and we will not allow them to close the Strait of Hormuz.

Western powers say they fear Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons under cover of a civilian nuclear program. \”The US Navy has been in the region for 60 years and will be here for decades to come,\” he said. The head of Iran\’s Revolutionary Guards said in remarks published last week that Tehran would impose controls on shipping in the Gulf and the strategic Strait of Hormuz if it was attacked. .

Cosgriff, nearing the end of his stint as Fifth Fleet commander, said Washington is committed to a long-term presence in the Gulf. The United States reassured oil-rich Arab allies on Wednesday that it was committed to the security of the Gulf and would not allow Iran to shut the strategic Strait of Hormuz to crude oil supplies. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran could disrupt activity in the Strait of Hormuz but could not sustain any disruption for long, the top US military officer said on Wednesday, reiterating that Washington would not allow Tehran to close the critical crude oil route. Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said.

Bush said on Wednesday he had not ruled out using force in the nuclear standoff with Iran, but emphasised that he preferred a diplomatic solution. Iran insists its atomic drive is entirely peaceful, but Western powers fear Tehran is using the programme to develop nuclear weapons. \”I believe that the ability to sustain that is not there. .

We will not allow Iran to close it,\” the commander of the US Navy\’s Fifth Fleet, Vice-Admiral Kevin J. Fear of an escalation in the standoff between the West and Iran, the world\’s fourth largest oil producer, has helped propel oil prices over $140 a barrel. There has been a surge in speculation recently that Israel might be planning a military strike against Iranian nuclear sites after it emerged that the Jewish state had carried out practice runs. Speculation about a possible attack on Iran because of its nuclear program has risen since a report last month said Israel had practiced such a strike.

\”Mullen also called for broad government dialogue between Washington and Tehran, indicating it could reduce risks in the Gulf. US President George W. . .

. \”As much as one-third of the world\’s oil moving by sea travels through the Strait of Hormuz. . .