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Military Leaders Urge Action on Energy Security to Counter Iran's Sustained Efforts to Rattle Oil Markets

WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Members of Securing America's Future Energy's (SAFE) Energy Security Leadership Council (ESLC) today said that Iran is likely to continue actions aimed at keeping oil prices at elevated levels in 2012, and urged action on a broad set of energy security policies designed to combat the threats posed by America's dangerous and ongoing dependence on petroleum.

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ESLC members General James Conway (Ret.) 34th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps; General Charles Wald (Ret.) former Deputy Commander, U.S. European Command; and Admiral Dennis Blair (Ret.) former Director of National Intelligence and Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command discussed the recent threats made by the Islamic Republic of Iran to cut off all oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping route at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. Iran is coming under pressure from economic sanctions aimed at forcing Iran to halt its nuclear weapons development program.

"Iran has seen the turmoil that an oil spike can make," said General James Conway. "With oil being their only tool to accomplish their objectives, you are seeing today an attempt to manipulate those in the Gulf and of the world's supply of oil. We are hampering ourselves as a nation if we don't come together and find a way out of this energy dependence."

"They have played this game before," said General Charles Wald, referring to Iran. "We had Iranians attacking ships in the 1980s. There is no doubt in my mind that if Iran got into a conventional conflict with the U.S. and others, Iran would come out on the short-end. The difference now is that Iran is going toward a nuclear capacity and once that happens, the world changes."

"We are in a situation that is full of dangers and absurdity," said Admiral Dennis Blair. "The U.S., which gets no oil from Iran, carries the burden of breaking any blockade that the Iranians may impose and U.S. consumers will pay higher prices for oil. We need to reduce this trend. We need to drill for more oil in our waters, draw every drop of efficiency from our vehicles, and over the long-term, we need to transition our heavy-duty vehicle fleet to natural gas and our light-duty fleet to electricity."

In conjunction with the call, SAFE published an Intelligence Report "Iran Launches 2012 Campaign to Rattle Oil Markets" on the national and energy security threats to the United States and the international community caused by Iran's recent tactics. With nearly 20 percent of the world's oil shipped through the Strait each day, and the dispute over Iran's desire to develop nuclear weapon unlikely to be easily resolved, Iran is expected continue threatening to use oil as a strategic weapon in the hope of deterring tighter sanctions.

The ESLC is a group of business executives and retired senior military leaders who believe that our dependence on oil, much of it imported from unstable and hostile regimes, poses an unacceptable economic and national security threat. The ESLC works to build support for a comprehensive, long-term policy to reduce U.S. oil dependence and improve energy security. Components of the ESLC's broad policy goals are expanded production of domestic oil and gas, continued improvements in fuel economy standards, and in the long-term, severing oil's stranglehold on the transportation sector through alternatives like natural gas vehicles for heavy-duty trucks, and the electrification of light-duty vehicles.

SOURCE Securing America's Future Energy