CNN 2012-01-08（在线收听）

 Straits are narrow passageways that connect two bodies of water.Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the gulf of Oman.That land,to the north?that's Iran.About 20 percent of the world's oil goes through the Strait of Hormuz.US Navy also uses it to move ships through the region.American officials have dismissed a threat from Iran to close the Strait.It's part of the recent tension between the countries that Chris Lawrance covers in this report.Iran test-fired a new radar-evading missile Monday and announced a step forward in its nuclear program.Some say it's Iran's way of firing back at President Obama's new sanctions which could make it virtually impossible for Iran to sell its crude oil.Iran is trying to say that outside pressure isn't going to soften its behavior.Analyst has interviewed dozens of senior Iranian officials and clerics.The missile test followed Iran's threat to close the Strait of Hormuz where 20 percent of the world's oil passes.It also announced that it had produced its own uranium fuel rods.All as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad prepares to visit Venezuela,Ecuador,Nicaragua and Cuba.Some republican contenders see a direct threat in Iran and its surrogates forging ties in the United States' backyard.I'm very concerned about the militan socialists and radical Islamists,joining together,bonding together.Right now_which is working throughout land of latin America,in Venezuela,in Mexico,throughout Latin America which poses a very significant and imminent threat to the United States of America.Thank you governor.Some analysts say there's little_for Iranian ideaology in South America.We unnecessarily exaggerate the extent of Iran's global influence.He says Iran doesn't have the naval ships needed to blockade the strait of Hormuz and it needs those shipping lanes as much as anyone.He sees Iran as more bluster than battle-ready.But there is a concern that the hardliner in Tehran will try to provoke some kind of military attack on themselves for domestic political expediency,and that's a trap which the United States and Israel should be careful about walking into.