Oil is a tool for Iran, an analysis says

TEHRAN, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- A U.S. intelligence review said Tehran could use oil as a diplomatic weapon by closing down the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media boasts.

State broadcaster Press TV refers to a report by the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence that states Tehran could benefit diplomatically by shutting down oil shipping lanes in the narrow strait dividing the Persian Gulf from the Gulf of Oman.

"Given the importance of the strait, disrupting traffic flow or even threatening to do so may be an effective tool for Iran," the broadcaster quoted the ONI report.

Press TV references a review by Mark Fitzpatrick, a chief proliferation analyst with the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, who warned Tehran could take action in the Strait of Hormuz as Israel prepares for an attack in response for its nuclear activity.

Iranian naval commander Rear Adm. Haibollah Sayyari said in September that the country's naval forces had "a duty to block routes used by the enemy, should the necessity arise."