Editing Strait of Hormuz (section)

===Tensions in 2008===

====2008 U.S.–Iranian naval dispute====
{{Main|2008 U.S.–Iranian naval dispute}}

A series of naval stand-offs between Iranian speedboats and U.S. warships in the Strait of Hormuz occurred in December 2007 and January 2008. U.S. officials accused Iran of harassing and provoking their naval vessels, but Iranian officials denied the allegations. On 14 January 2008, U.S. Navy officials appeared to contradict the Pentagon version of the 16 January event, in which the Pentagon had reported that U.S. vessels had almost fired on approaching Iranian boats. The Navy's regional commander, Vice Admiral Kevin Cosgriff, said the Iranians had "neither anti-ship missiles nor torpedoes" and he "wouldn't characterize the posture of the [[United States Fifth Fleet|US 5th Fleet]] as afraid of these small boats".<ref>{{cite news |title=A game of chicken in the, Persian Gulf |first=David |last=Isenberg |url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JA10Ak05.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514013222/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JA10Ak05.html |url-status=unfit |archive-date=14 May 2008 |newspaper=[[Asia Times Online]] |date=10 January 2008 |access-date=8 January 2012}}</ref>

====Iranian defence policy====
On 29 June 2008, the commander of [[Iran's Revolutionary Guard]], [[Mohammad Ali Jafari]], said that if either [[Israel]] or the United States attacked Iran, it would seal off the Strait of Hormuz to wreak havoc in the oil markets. This followed more ambiguous threats from Iran's oil minister and other government officials that an attack on Iran would result in turmoil in the world's oil supply.

Vice Admiral Kevin Cosgriff, commander of the U.S. 5th Fleet stationed in Bahrain across the Persian Gulf from Iran, warned that such Iranian action would be considered an act of war, and the U.S. would not allow Iran to hold hostage nearly a third of the world's oil supply.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,374905,00.html |title=U.S. Navy Commander Warns Iran: Don't Try Closing Gulf Oil Passageway |publisher=Fox News |date=2 July 2008 |access-date=2 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020081555/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,374905,00.html |archive-date=20 October 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

On 8 July 2008, Ali Shirazi, a mid-level clerical aide to Iran's Supreme Leader [[Ayatollah Ali Khamenei]], was quoted by the student news agency [[Iranian Students' News Agency|ISNA]] as telling the Revolutionary Guards, "The Zionist regime is pressuring White House officials to attack Iran. If they commit such a stupidity, [[Tel Aviv]] and U.S. shipping in the Persian Gulf will be Iran's first targets and they will be burned."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-attack-usa-idUSLYO82850220080708 |title=Iran to "hit Tel Aviv, U.S. ships" if attacked |publisher=[[Reuters]] |last=Hafezi |first=Parisa |date=8 July 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317104538/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-attack-usa-idUSLYO82850220080708 |archive-date=17 March 2016}}</ref>

====Naval activity in 2008====
In the last week of July 2008, in the Operation Brimstone,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=38478 |title=JTFEX 08-4 "Operation Brimstone" Flexes Allied Force Training |publisher=US Navy |date=15 July 2008 |access-date=11 August 2008 |archive-date=22 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080722011927/http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=38478 |url-status=dead}}</ref> dozens of U.S. and foreign naval ships came to undergo joint exercises for possible military activity in the shallow waters off the coast of Iran.

As of 11 August 2008, more than 40 U.S. and allied ships reportedly were en route to the Strait of Hormuz. One U.S. carrier battle group from Japan would complement the two which are already in the Persian Gulf, for a total of five battle groups, not including the submarines.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5499 |title=Three major US naval strike forces due this week in Persian Gulf |publisher=Debkafile |date=11 August 2008 |access-date=11 August 2008 |archive-date=1 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091201062308/http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5499 |url-status=dead}}</ref>