Iran has guts, there’s no doubt about it—what with its pressing forward with nuclear development while threatening to wipe Israel off the map. But these moves aren’t as careless as some people assume, considering the ace Tehran has up its sleeve.

Oil, that is.

The equation is simple. The advanced economies of America and Europe rely heavily on a stable supply of oil, much of it from opec member nations. Iran, which produces 4.2 million barrels of oil per day, is the second-largest opec producer and an instrumental contributor to the global supply of oil.

To put it even more plainly: Iran has excess oil; America, Europe and Asia need it. Oil has become the Achilles heel of the world’s greatest, most advanced nations.

In the same manner that nutrient-rich sap is the lifeblood of a tree, providing it with the power and energy to grow tall and strong, oil is the sap that provides energy (in many cases, literally) to the largest and most affluent economies on the globe. Oil is absolutely central to our modern lifestyles. Jeopardize or limit the flow of sap up the trunk, and you stress a tree’s growth and overall health. While it may not die, it will stop growing, and many of its branches will wilt and die. A mere restriction in the volume of sap flowing up the trunk would have dire results on the tree’s health and its ability to produce fruit.

Although Iran can’t stop the flow of oil, it can reduce the volume of oil flowing onto the global market. And any such restriction in oil flow would yield dire results for the economies of America, Europe and Asia—directly affecting transportation, manufacturing, industry, agriculture and the military, with indirect ramifications for every other economic sector. Four million fewer barrels of oil per day on the market would likely create economic chaos, which would precipitate political crisis.

But here is where the analogy breaks down. While a tree wouldn’t respond to a mere threat to reduce its sap flow, with oil it is different. Even the threat of there not being enough oil to meet global demands has an impact, particularly in today’s world where oil supplies are growing increasingly tight.

We all experienced this phenomenon last week. As Europe and America scrambled to rummage up support for UN sanctions against Tehran because it is resuming its nuclear activities, the Iranian oil minister warned that “[o]ne of the consequences [of sanctions] will be the unleashing of a crisis in the oil sector and particularly a price hike” (Agence France Presse, January 19). The news of a potential disruption in the flow of oil from Iran caused oil prices to jump to near four-month highs.

This is quite startling. Iran didn’t actually reduce the amount of oil it contributes to global supply, it just threatened to reduce it—and look what happened.

The amount of influence Iran wields in this scenario is ridiculous. The Iranian oil minister makes two or three statements to the Middle Eastern press, and you have to pay more at the gas pump. The Iranian oil minister is taking more money from your wallet, and there is little you can do to stop him.

Why? Because America, as well as Europe and Asia are absolutely reliant on the stable flow of oil. Even though the U.S. doesn’t receive oil directly from Iran, in the event of Tehran squeezing supply those nations that do import Iranian oil would have to hunt elsewhere for it. In the end, it affects everyone.

As Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad swaggers around the world, endorsing dangerous ideologies, flippantly throwing around offensive remarks that he remains arrogantly unapologetic for, many wonder if this politician isn’t slightly loco—if there aren’t some screws lose in his mind. What else would give him the gall to push around some of the most powerful nations and groups of nations in the world? We recently wrote about an unseen force influencing this man’s mind.

But is he crazy, or canny? The other factor empowering this man is that he knows his nation plays a central role in the global supply of oil.

An article from the Guardian in Britain last week amplifies this point: “[Iranian Oil Minister] Danesh-Jafari’s warning added weight to veiled threats by Iran’s president on Saturday. Iran had a ‘cheap means’ of achieving its nuclear ‘rights,’ Mr. Ahmadinejad said, adding: ‘You [the West] need us more than we need you. All of you today need the Iranian nation’” (January 16, emphasis ours).

Iranian oil is part of the sap that fuels and energizes some of the world’s leading nations. Fully cognizant of the resultant massive influence it wields on the world scene, Iran believes it can run the risk of pushing around America and Europe.

Sure, UN sanctions would hurt the Iranian economy, and its national income would decrease substantially if it chose to withhold oil from the market. But Iran knows such measures would hurt America and Europe more. It could potentially devastate their economies. These facts infuse the leaders of Iran with tremendous confidence.

The Iranians are failing to consider all the ramifications of their flippant behavior, however. They are blinded by arrogance and over-confidence. They operate under the assumption that they can push Europe and America around without serious implications. Time is going to prove them wrong.

Europe is heavily dependent on outside sources for their energy. Russia and the Middle East are the two main providers of that energy. In recent weeks, mild crises have occurred in both sources of European energy—Russian natural gas and oil to the east, and Iranian oil to the south.

The lives and well-being of most Europeans depend heavily on Russian natural gas, and oil supplied by opec. Threatening Europe’s supply of energy is the same as threatening the lives of Europeans! President Ahmadinejad is foolish for thinking Europe will roll over and acquiesce to Tehran’s wishes. To push at Europe by threatening its energy supply is naive and highly dangerous.

Facing Russian instability to the east and Iranian arrogance to the south, Europe is going to have to do something to secure the flow of oil and natural gas into its borders. These crises could easily be catalysts for the unification of Europe!

For more than a decade, our editor in chief has foretold of bullying tactics by Iran that would “push” Europe over the edge—inviting a blitzkrieg attack from the Europeans. This is based on a prophecy in Daniel 11 that shows Europe, a resurrection of the old Roman Empire—an outgrowth of Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon—marching into the Middle East, partially to secure its energy supplies. Read our free booklet The King of the South for more on this.

Europe’s energy issues will play a significant part in bringing Bible prophecy to pass. With the engines of this formidable global power needing fuel, and present sources proving so unpredictable, we can expect that before long Europe will get its act together—and move to secure its energy sources through war.