Regardless of how many countries seek alternatives to oil, the fact remains that they are still the mainstay of the economies of those countries and will probably remain so for decades to come. Securing this vital resource is of interest to producers and consumers alike. The oil supply disruption has a red line, which was reflected in two historical precedents: the first during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s when Iran targeted Gulf oil tankers, which led the carriers to fly the flag of the United States for protection. In 1991, when the United States led an international coalition to liberate Kuwait and abort the Iraqi regimeâs efforts to control Kuwaitâs oil and threaten other Gulf states.