Threat to Iran puts Gulf oil exports at risk

By Simon Webb

DUBAI (Reuters) - Oil exports from the whole Gulf region would be at risk if Iran's exports were hindered by any threat, said the OPEC Governor of Iran, which has vowed to retaliate should its nuclear facilities come under attack.

"If there is a threat in our region this will not be just against our exports," Mohammad Ali Khatibi told Reuters in a

telephone interview.

"It will affect other producers, not just Iran. I mean the oil exporters Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Any problem from the United States or Israel to the region would be a threat to 40 percent of all the world's traded oil."

Around 40 percent of all global oil shipments leave the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz off Iran's southern coast and Tehran has threatened to impose controls on shipping in the waterway if attacked, and warned Gulf neighbours of reprisals if they took part.

(Reporting by Simon Webb and Inal Ersan; Editing by Quentin Bryar)