U.S. Aircraft Carrier in Strait of Hormuz voyage

14 February 2012
Last updated at 13:30











USS Abraham Lincoln in Strait of Hormuz voyage












The Abraham Lincoln was protected by other US vessels

The US aircraft carrier
Abraham Lincoln has sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, close to the
coast of Iran, for the second time in recent weeks.

A BBC reporter on board said an Iranian patrol boat at one point passed by two miles (3.2km) from the carrier.

The carrier was protected by a US cruiser and destroyer.

Iranian officials recently threatened to close the channel,
through which 20% of the world's oil exports pass, in a row over oil
trade embargoes.

The BBC's Jonathan Beale on board the Abraham Lincoln says the US has insisted it will keep the vital shipping lane open.

Earlier, the US navy said the Iranian patrol boat passed
within about half a mile of the carrier, but they later corrected this
to two miles.

A French warship and UK naval vessels accompanied the aircraft carrier in a journey through the strait last month.

The EU last month banned all oil imports from Iran amid growing concern over Tehran's nuclear programme.

Both the US and EU have since lobbied countries around the world to block Iranian oil imports.

Iran says its nuclear programme is solely for power
generation, but Western nations fear Tehran is trying to develop a
weapons capability.







It"s looking really ominous .....as if the World hasn't enough to contend with,