Iran's Oil Test

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright Dec. 18, 2009
All Rights Reserved.                    

              Testing the limits of U.S. power and resolve, Iran hijacked the southern Iraqi al-Fakkah oil field in the border region only 500 meters from the Iranian line.  Like Iran’s Revolutionary Guard speedboats harassing vesicles in international water, Revolutionary guards, directed by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahamadiejad, stay on the offense, pushing the limits of Tehran’s power.  Fighting a pitched battle with the international community about its nuclear enrichment program, Ahmadinejad flexed his muscles again, this time encroaching on Iraqi territory, taking over Well No. 4, painting it in Iranian colors and hoisting the Iranian flag.  “There has been no violence related to this incident and we trust this will be resolved through peaceful diplomacy between the governments of Iraq and Iran,” said U.S. military spokesman Colonel Peter Newell at Contingency Operation Base Adder.

                  After announcing his decision Dec. 1 to add 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, President Barack Obama telegraphed to Tehran that the U.S. was spread too thin to respond to provocation.  For months, the U.S. and Israel hinted about possible airstrikes on Iran’s uranium nuclear facilities, pushing Iran into a more aggressive posture.  Since the Aug. 2 arrests of three American hikers, the Iranians have played hardball, giving them more leverage in ongoing discussions about halting nuclear enrichment activities.  While the U.S. and other Western powers accuse Iran of working feverishly on a nuclear bomb, the Iranians deny all such allegations.  Iran has a long history with hostage taking, having seized the U.S. embassy Nov. 4, 1979, holding 53 hostages for 444 days after a botched rescue mission, finally releasing them Jan. 20, 1989, the day of late President Ronald Reagan’s inauguration.

            Seizing the Iraqi oil field directly challenges U.S. military and political clout, putting the onus on Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s Shiite government..  “The oil field is disputed territory in between the Iranian and Iraqi border forts,” said Col Newell, adding that such disputes have occurred before.   Al-Maliki summoned his National Security Council, comprised of ministers of interior, foreign affairs, national security and finance to deal with the breach.  Al-Maliki, a Shiite, has close ties to the Iranian government, permitting former radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to escape American pursuit and seek asylum in Tehran.  “An Iranian force arrived at the field early this morning [Friday],” said Iraqi Security Minister Shirwan al-Waili, taking over Iraqi Well No. 4 with expected reserves of 1.55 million barrels.  Iraqi officials expect to resolve the situation peacefully.

            Iran’s provocation is a shot across the bow to the U.S., currently pushing the U.N. Security Council to adopt tougher sanctions for violating the International Atomic Energy Agency’s demand to halt uranium enrichment.  Ahmandinejad warned the U.N. against more sanctions, hijacking Well No. 4 to make a point.  “What happens is, periodically, about every three to four months, the oil ministry guys from Iraq will go to fix something or do some maintenance.  They’ll paint it in Iraqi colors an throw and Iraqi flag up,” said Newell, minimizing the extent of Iran’s provocation.  Since Obama took office, the U.S. military has played a largely supportive role in Iraq, avoiding military confrontations.  While Iran calls the border region disputed, Iraq views the takeover of Well No. 4 a violation of sovereignty.  Iraq’s spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh asked the Iranians to resolve the dispute peacefully.

            Unable to respond to Iran’s provocation, Iraqi and U.S. forces give Tehran the green light to engage in unlawful activity.  Iranian officials at their Baghdad embassy called the charges “baseless and mere rumors.”  Baghdad accused Iran of stealing oil from Iraq’s al-Fakkah and Abu Gharb oil fields last year, challenging Iran’s claims to the disputed region, clearly inside Iraqi territory.  Had Saddam Hussein been in power, the Iranians would have thought twice before encroaching on Iraq’s territory.  After fighting a bloody 8-year war with Iran, al-Malikis’ government is in no position to challenge Iranian aggression without U.S. help.  Give Obama’s new commitment in Afghanistan, it’s doubtful the U.S. could dedicate more resources to Iraq.  Ahmandinejad’s test proves that neither Iraq nor the U.S. can do much to contain growing Iranian aggression outside its borders.

            Shifing U.S. priorities have left Iraq—and indeed other Mideast countries—vulnerable to Iranian aggression.  However long the window remains open to contain a growing nuclear threat, it’s more clear than ever that the Iranian regime wouldn’t hesitate use the bomb to blackmail its neighbors and beyond.  Seizing Iraq’s Oil Well No. 4 proves to Tehran that both the U.S. and its client state in Iraq are paper tigers, spread too thin to intervene elsewhere.  Holding three American hikers hostage also handcuffs the U.S. from tanking more aggressive action, including evicting Iran’s Revolutionary Guards from Iraq’s sovereign territory.  Iranian military actions in Iraq’s al-Fakkah’s oil fields send a loud message to the U.N. Security Council currently debating more draconic Iranian sanctions.  If the U.N. acts to restrain a growing nuclear threat, Iran will find more clever ways to retaliate.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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