Iran is to the east of the Persian Gulf and the middle eastern countries bottle necked by the Straits of Hormuz. If you wish to argue the minutiae of location of the straits that is a matter for you. It has always been a fear that in a period of international tension Iran would blockade the straits. There are insufficient International pipelines in the area for alternative routings to be used for export of crude and gas. As these countries are bankrolled by hydrocarbon sales, any interruption would hurt very quickly. This would impact both them and their destination markets.

Jimmy I have not been in a pub for over 2 years. Just remember I too have the ability to get personal. I seem to remember you got quite upset last time someone had a dig at you. I do not care for people insinuating I have been drinking. Just behave yourself!