America and the Straights of Hormuz: Interference

P1 - International Law A) - United Nations Convention on the Law of the SeaThe straights of Hormuz lies between Oman and Iran and connects the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea and is considered a world "choke point". At its narrowest the Straights of Hormuz are 34 miles across. [1] Iranian waters stretch for 12 nautical miles or 13 standard miles into the Straights based on the guidelines set up by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea [2] so even at its narrowest point with Oman on the other side there is still 8 miles in between that count as international waters that Iran is not allowed to close due to international law. This aside even if they ignored that stretch of 8 miles at the narrowest point they are still not allowed to block trade through Oman waters without their consent putting Iran's threat to close the Straights in violation of United Nations international law. B) - Transit Passage Transit passage is a concept in Law of the Sea which allows for a vessel and aircraft in accordance with United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Part III) of the freedom of navigation and overflight solely for the purpose of continuous and expeditious transit of the strait between one part of the high seas or an exclusive economic zone and another part of the high seas or an exclusive economic zone [3]What this states is that any vessels in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea are allowed freedom of passage and navigation of straights if the sole purpose of transit is peaceful and will only take the vessel from one body of water to the next. Since the Straights of Hormuz falls into this category of "straight between one part of the high seas" then the government or military of Iran is not allowed to deny ships passage through the Straights. Both Iran and Oman signed this agreement thereby binding them to following their laws and regulations. [4]C) - Right to Intervene: UNAs a member of the UN security council the United States has every right to intervene on the behalf of the 162 countries that have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The United States would have every right with international law behind them and the UN behind them to interfere militarily in order to protect the free transit of peaceful vessels traversing the Straights of Hormuz and upholding the principles of free trade and freedom of the seas both of which are tenants of both the United States and the United Nations. P2 - Economic Interests About 14 tankers carrying 15.5 million barrels (2,460,000 m3) of crude oil pass through the strait on an average day, making it one of the world's most strategically important choke points. This represents 35% of the world's seaborne oil shipments, and 20 percent of oil traded worldwide in 2011. [1]This being one of the world's most strategic waterways the United States, on the behalf of free trade and personal economic interest could not let a hostile nation close the straights to trade. The United States is also the world's number one oil consumer in the world meaning that they have a very important stake in the flow of oil through the Straights of Hormuz. [5] The United States has a right to protect its foreign and economic interests when threatened by a hostile nation, especially when it involves the harassment of peaceful ships and the blockade of international waters. Conclusion: International law overwhelmingly says that Iran has no right to close the Straights of Hormuz because they encompass international waters and the waters of a foreign nation. Even if the waterway was owned entirely by Iran, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea says that the closing of a straight to peaceful vessels is unlawful and is in violation of treaties and agreements signed by 162 nations. Based on these laws, and the economic stake that the United States has in supporting free trade and it's consumption of oil the United States has more than enough justification for intervening in an Iranian closing of the Straights of Hormuz. [1] . http://en.wikipedia.org...[2] . http://en.wikipedia.org...[3] . http://en.wikipedia.org...[4] . http://www.un.org...[5] . https://www.cia.gov...