The present US embargo against Iran is a mirror image of the same against Japan so many decades ago that resulted in the desperate Japanese attack against Pearl Harbor. Even today few people know that the USAir force was already preparing to bomb Japanese industrial towns before the Pearl Harbor attack and already accumulated millions of gallons of aviation fuel in the Chinese coastal cities.

Iran Threatens to Block Oil Shipments, as U.S. Prepares Sanctions

“A senior Iranian official on Tuesday delivered a sharp threat in response to economic sanctions being readied by the United States, saying his country would retaliate against any crackdown by blocking all oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for transporting about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.

The declaration by Iran’s first vice president, Mohammad-Reza Rahimi, came as President Obama prepares to sign legislation that, if fully implemented, could substantially reduce Iran’s oil revenue in a bid to deter it from pursuing a nuclear weapons program.

Prior to the latest move, the administration had been laying the groundwork to attempt to cut off Iran from global energy markets without raising the price of gasoline or alienating some of Washington’s closest allies.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/28/world/middleeast/iran-threatens-to-block-oil-route-if-embargo-is-imposed.html#h