Iran may economically choke U.S.

T

he threat of Iran is imminent. Most dismiss the reality that a nuclear-proliferated Iran will be a real threat to America. It’s not like they could ever drop the bomb on American soil right?  It’s not an attack on American soil that we should fear.  It’s our economic longevity.

Let us think back to December and March when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad threatened to shut down the Strait of Hormuz.  This would have stifled the world’s oil supply from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar and Bahrain.

The oil coming out of this strait amounts to about 40 percent of world sea-borne oil and almost 20 percent of the entire world oil supply. The mere threat to close the strait raised the cost of a barrel of oil by almost a dollar.

When a leader threatens to choke the world of 20 percent of its oil supply, he is not sane. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is no less erratic. We cannot allow such irrational leaders to wield nuclear weapons.

Contrary to other nuclear-armed countries like North Korea, Iran would have no check on its power. The United States and many allies across the world agree that Iran is engaging in nefarious activities. The U.S. and the European Union have passed multilateral sanctions against Iran in attempts to get it to halt its quest for nuclear proliferation but to no avail.

I paid $4.04 per gallon at the pump last week. How much will gas be with a nuclear-armed Iran?

A nuclear Iran will create political instability in the Middle East and with instability comes a rise in oil prices. The cost of every product transported in America is dependent upon oil prices. This is what I am worried about. Not being bombed, but being economically choked.

The United States needs to send Iran a stronger message. Iran must know that if they develop the capability to become nuclear-armed, the United States will retaliate with overwhelming force.

The longevity of our economy depends on it.

 

Vincent Foster is a senior majoring in political science and philosophy. He is the former president of the UM College Republicans.