Crystal 10
OK I'll spell out the oil problem for you.
Russia is the largest exporter of oil worldwide.
Iran has by far the largest reserves.
Soon it is likely that Iran will be blocked from exporting through its own ports. If Russia were to provide a pipeline link from Iran to the Syrian coast then it would control a large proportion of the worlds oil supplies. While the USA would have no problem interdicting Iranian tankers, its unlikely to try to stop Russian ones. With China and India as willing customers there would be a ready market - and Russia would have enough control of the global market to starve Europe and make life difficult for the USA.
Thats the threat, and that is why Russia is so interested in what happens in Syria.
Now it seems to me that that is directly related to the subject of this thread - passage of the Strait of Hormuz
PS - sorry I only saw your second complaint after I'd already posted.
The justification for the Pakistani link is that quite simply if (or more probably when) there is a military coup in Pakistan then things are going to become much more problematic for our forces in Afghanistan. For one, where is the exit route? For two, just who are the enemy going to be?
Last edited by COCL2; 13th Jan 2012 at 16:57.