Punishing Iran 'would jeopardise oil supplies'

Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said today any Western attempt to punish Tehran ovr its nuclear programme would jeopardise energy shipments, an implied threat to try to close the Strait of Hormuz choke point, through which much of the world’s oil supplies must pass.

Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters, also declared that Western accusations that Iran wanted to build a nuclear weapon were “a sheer lie”.

“If you make any mistake (punish or attack Iran), definitely shipment of energy from this region will be seriously jeopardised. You have to know this,” Khamenei said in a speech broadcast live on state-run radio and directed to Western nations.

Khamenei said the US and its allies would be unable to secure oil shipments passing out of the Gulf through the strategic Strait of Hormuz to the Indian Ocean. At its narrowest point, the strait – which separates Iran from the Arabian peninsula, is only 44 miles wide.

“You will never be able to protect the energy supply in this region. You will not be able to do it,” he said.

Khamenei, however, did not specify how oil supplies would be disrupted, and insisted Iran would not “be the initiator of war”.

In a television interview later, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sought to play down Khamenei’s remarks.

“I think that we shouldn’t place too much emphasis on a threat of this kind,” she said on Fox News Sunday.

She said Iran’s economy was too dependent on oil revenue. “Obviously it would be a very serious problem for Iran if oil were to be disrupted on the market.”

Last week, Rice announced that the US was prepared to join the European Union in negotiations with Iran only if Tehran agreed to stop enriching uranium.

Iranian Political analyst Saeed Leilaz said Khamenei’s remarks were more important for what he did not say than what he did.

“He didn’t close the door for dialogue or understanding with the US Khamenei even didn’t close the door for possibility of Iran suspending uranium enrichment.

“Iran is after maximum concessions from America,” Leilaz said.

Rajabali Mazrouei, a former reformist lawmaker and political analyst, said Iran would be unable to close the Strait.

“Khamenei’s comments should be assessed as part of usual exchange harsh of rhetoric between Iran and the United States,” he said. “Iran is in a position to temporarily disrupt oil shipments from the region but it will not be in a position to close the Strait of Hormuz permanently.”

Contrary to Khamenei’s remarks, other Iranian officials have repeatedly ruled out using oil as weapon. Iran is the world’s fourth largest oil exporter and has the second largest reserves in the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Khamenei’s harsh rhetoric came a day after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said a breakthrough in negotiations over Tehran’s contentious nuclear programme was possible.

He welcomed the US offer to join talks but rejected preconditions – the suspension of uranium enrichment.

The US and its European allies fear Iran is using what it calls a peaceful civilian nuclear programme as a cover to build atomic weapons.

After months of threats and counter-threats, Washington said last week it was prepared to join talks with Iran if it stopped enriching uranium, which can produce fuel for electricity-generating reactors or, if sufficiently processed, the fissile core for a warhead.

In conjunction with the US offer, the five UN Security Council members plus Germany drew up a fresh economic incentive package for Iran last week but made it conditional on an end to enrichment.

Ahmadinejad said the Iranians would study the offer carefully but rejected preconditions – a suspension of enrichment.