Iran plans to send military ships close to the United States’ Atlantic coast, according to the head of the Iranian Navy, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari.
“Like the arrogant powers that are present near our marine borders, we will also have a powerful presence close to American marine borders, Sayyari said on Tuesday without giving specifics as to when such a deployment could happen or the number or type of vessels to be used.
For years the United States has patrolled a fleet of Navy warships off the Iranian coast in the Persian Gulf, something seen as threatening to Tehran. In January of last year, the Obama administration accelerated the deployment of military vessels off the Iranian coast and placed antimissile systems in at least four Arab countries neighboring Iran.
Most notable is the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain – less than 160 miles off the Iranian coast – which directs operations in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, and Arabian Sea and secures the Straits of Hormuz, through which 40 per cent of the world’s seaborne oil passes. It is one of the largest military forces in the region, with over 40 vessels and close to 30,000 personnel.
The Fifth Fleet consists of a Carrier Battle Group, which includes an aircraft carrier, two guided missile cruisers equipped with Tomahawks for long-range strike capability, a guided missile destroyer for air warfare, a destroyer for submarine warfare, a frigate, two attack submarines, and a combined ammunition, oiler and supply ship. The Fifth Fleet also docks an Amphibious Ready Group, which consists of multiple other vessels including aircraft carriers, attack helicopters, a Marine Air-Ground Task Force, and more.
These and other US Navy warships patrol the waterways along Iran’s southern border on a daily basis, often with the explicit intention of provoking Iran. In 2007, the Bush administration deployed “the largest daytime assembly of US warships in the Gulf since the 2003 Iraq war to hold drills off Iran’s coast in a major U.S. show of force.” The assembly included about 17,000 personnel and 140 aircraft in addition to the usual, and was sent without notifying the Iranian government.
President Obama’s analogous show of force last year was described by the New York Times as “part of a coordinated administration strategy to increase pressure on Iran” and also “intended to counter the impression that Iran is fast becoming the most powerful military force in the Middle East.”
The announcement by the Iranian Navy official comes weeks after the US got Turkey to agree to host a NATO anti-ballistic system aimed at spotting missiles coming from Iran. Turkey had agreed to the deal with the explicit condition that its neighbor Iran not be named as the impetus, strongly suggesting Iran was the primary target.
This demonstrates another aspect important to the context of US militaristic provocation towards Iran. Aside from warships to Iran’s south, the US makes major arms deals and sends significant amounts of security assistance to nearly all of Iran’s neighboring countries including Turkey, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, not to mention the two hot wars and client states the US is engaged in directly to Iran’s east and west in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Iran’s supposed plan to place navy vessels somewhere near America’s Atlantic coast, as the official who announced it said explicitly, is merely a response to the decades worth of US militaristic provocation towards Iran. Some in the US are objecting strongly to this, seeming implicitly to state that America doesn’t have to abide by the same rules Iran does and that America should not have to accept the obvious repercussions of aggressive foreign policies.
(photo via Wikipedia)
Of course this will be considered an act of war by the hypocrites.
hahahahahahaha…..that would be so funny if they did.
If the Chinese were to do to us what this wretched government does to everyone else there would be such a howl towards the heavens you'd never forget it.
The FedGov will likely declare a 200-mile exclusion zone along its coasts and/or contrive a "freedom of the seas" incident that will give it a pretext for attacking the Iranian force.
shrapnel from live ammunition used in US training drills in the persian gulf often lands in iranian territory because the drills are so close to Iran. literally meters….
DO we dare accuse the iranians of being provocative??
I think it's only fair.
The Problem with the US trying the Two Hundred Mile exclusion zone is that the US itself strenuously argues the twelve mile zone as all THEY have to obey. Many countries claim a Two Hundred mile security exclusion zone, which the US ignores. It ignores it on the basis of We have aircraft carriers that can obliterate your country.
If the US was to go down that road then Iran and China and others would be well within their rights to fire on US ships that enter the Eastern half of the straits of Hormuz or in Chinas case the China Sea'.
During the cold war the USA explicitly rejected the USSR enforcing its 200 mile claim around the Black sea. It routinely went to the 12 mile limit, in a very in your face gesture. Now it does the same with China.
Its the “danger of a good example, for Iran just discovered bankers running a con game and instantly jailed them all. For Iran has a near zero divorce rate, whereas we have over 50% of society forced to endure the judicial sledgehammer of separation.
Islamically correct marriages are not only strengthened by commitment to family, they are also bound in a shari'a-compliant marriage contract. Unlike Western-style marriages, other than what might happen in the event of a divorce or separation, there is no real legally binding mechanism. Under Islamic marriage law, the wife has certain rights and privileges that we in America would find amazing if we'd take the time to read up on them. The husband knows his responsibilities are not just those of a loving husband, he has it in writing what his wife expects and if he doesn't deliver she is perfectly justified in sending him packing. The same also applies in his case as well, he has certain rights over her and if she doesn't meet muster she's liable to be sent away. Does this detract from the love aspect of a marriage? Perhaps, in Western eyes, but to Muslims it makes very clear what each spouse's rights and responsibilities are from Day One and it simply makes a household stronger and run smoother.
By in large the divorce rate is so high because folks in countries where it is so take their "vows" or responsibilities as lightly as ordering for french fries. Fast food relationships with the resultant broken lives and homes tossed out with the morning fish wrap. Now for the part about jailing the bankers… I say when can we begin?
I'm waiting for the next Tonkin-style incident to be cooked up and put into play.
As for the 200-mile exclusion zone, if the US were to do that what's to prevent the Iranians from doing exactly the same thing with regard to US warships? Granted the US Navy would probably ignore it anyway, but that adds fuel to the anti-US argument in the Middle East that we don't respect them or their laws.
John Glaser,
In the future, as a good journalist, you might want to use different phraseology than, "and secures the Straits of Hormuz" when referring to US presence in the Persian Gulf. An objective reader might ask, " 'Secures' for whom?"
I'm glade Iran is doing this and also extremly happy Turkey is not allowing Israel to use them like they do to everyone else.Turkey Iran,China,Pakistan,Russia,North and then possible South Korea and many other countrys are sick of Americas bullying.I love people and have familly and a 5 year old son but its far past or maybe the perfect time to stand up to America,Israel,Britan and others a show of force may cause a war or let America now they will suffer like they have been making others for years.I'm Canadian and hope are country don't get involved with Americas illegal actions and goes back to are peace keeping ways that made us liked the world over.Instead now we act and look like an American puppet withch makes us the puppet of Israels puppet.As Canada we can change and no longer support a war unless its legal and right.
And yet we wonder why they might want nukes?
Reminds me of a film 'The Mouse That Roared' starring Peter Sellers
They feel threatened by our warships! Sort of like if we might one day shoot down their civilian airliner full of people and say "Oops! Sorry 'bout that!"
I'm sure Barack HUSSEIN Obama will order our navy to do nothing if the Iranians breach the 12-mile limit. After all Sheik Obama wants to be friends with the decrepit islamic world. Technically Obama could be impeached for ignoring such a threat because one his constitutional duties is to defend and protect the United States. I doubt the Iranians will come that close to US waters but it will be interesting to see what Imam Obama does if Iranian ships appear 13 miles off of the Virginia or New York coasts.
Unlikely but what if Ahmadinejad is crazy enough to load his ships up with cruise missiles and fire a few at NYC, DC or Atlanta? Proper response would be for the US to retaliate against Iran with nuclear missiles but Obama's base would scream at that. Better for the US to take a few thousand dead in our cities than to strike back, right Mr. President??????
DON'T DO IT IRAN…!!! It is a terrible idea… Try the Arctic, or Antarctic perhaps Samoa ……
You will turn public opinion against yourselves… Right now a majority of the American public is AGAINST any war with your country…. It's only the Neocons and oil companies want to war with you… If you want to change that fact, then by all means go trolling off the U,S, coast…
I disagree. Americans will go along with war everytime. There will be the usual background murmur of dissent, but the propaganda against Iran has been around since 1979; to the point where there isn't even a racial epithet needed for Iranians…they're just f#cking Iranians. I don't think there has been a single instance in U.S. history where the govt decided to go to war and was stopped by public outcry against it. Never gonna happen. If Obama started bombing Iran today, America would not miss a beat. Not one. People are so prejudiced against Iranians in America that many Iranians I have known have changed their names and do not acknowledge their cultural heritage at all out of fear. Then there are the ones like Lee Bzorgi who have sold their souls to the MIC.
As usual we need to define what "America" is. Are we speaking about the lunatics at the levers of power? The ignorant blood lust crazed masses from all spectrums of our society? You? Me? I have to be careful not to paint with too general a brush because it colors too many with blood red when many simply don't know and wish to be left alone knowing our overlords will do what they want whenever they want. Until someone boots these swine out with either ballots or bullets it'll never change.
I think iran should stay around thier own waters and protect those areas the best way they can. Every body in the world knows that U.S. is there only to protect Israel because every body hates Israel in that area and is a no brainer why. If iran trys to show force in agrecive way, it might back fire and give thier enemys reason to use it against them. Iran never has attakced any country and all they want is to live thier lifes without being threaten by U.S. or Israel or England or any other people but love of money controls the minds and hearts of stupid governments, no matter what, the war will happen, Iraq, Afganistan, Iran, Pakistan, Syria, some body will be attacked.
Just as an army travels on its stomach, a navy travels on its fuel. Given the documented lack of refining capacity in Iran (which has led to gasoline shortages despite its vast crude oil reserves), I seriously doubt their navy has the "legs" to get within even 1000 miles of the US coast. IMHO Mr. Sayyari is just tweaking Uncle Sam's nose for fun. Crippling the 5th Fleet in Bahrain would be far easier, and more effective.
Agreed. Sunburn missiles are far cheaper, plentiful, and more deadly than a whole fleet of ships. The one thing Uncle Scam has never had to face was someone with the means to let him have a good kick in the nuts. Watch some destroyers and a carrier go down the drink and you'd hear wailing from here until doomsday.
Winter in the Atlantic can be nasty, it's no Persian Gulf. Iranian Navy should remember Channel 16, 156.8 MHz., the international channel for Mayday. USCG will assist…unless this flotilla is actually headed for Puerto Cabello and a nice winter stay in the Caribbean far away from our shores. Stupidity at sea has consequences…a sense of self-preservation tends to temper idiotic ideas like this.
Let the Libyans do unto the Amerikans as they have done unto them.
A war with Iran has one advantage. The Pentagon will no longer be able to claim that the missiles in Bulgaria, Romania and Poland are to protect us from Iran. But the Russians have never believed that. Trident chief missile engineer Bob Aldridge -www.plrc.org-wrote on the missiles in the three countries: "Whether they are on ships or land, they are still a necessary component for an unanswerable first strike." To take out the Russian second strike force, i.e. the missiles surviving First Strike with Minuteman-3 and Trident-2. Both have an accuracy of 30 meters or less, enough to destroy a missile silo. The US Navy can track and destroy all enemy submarines simultaneously according to Bob Aldridge. The missiles in the three countries lead to Launch On Warning, probably by 2014.
As Leon Greco sings, war “is a big monster, and stomps over all the poor innocence of the people.” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_XwalvePdg)
Anything that makes war more probable is very, very dangerous. Ahmadinejad often looks and sounds like he’s recklessly fallen into a game of one-up-manship with the US, trying to show the world that he’s tougher and stronger, regardless of the consequences. What possible good can come of provoking the raging monster of US militarism? Horrible news. Peace is never found in the barrel of a gun. It is not brought by warships.
But Uncle Sam has no desire to negotiate or be peaceful. That's exactly the point. He's forever on the prowl seeking whomever he can devour. He doesn't want dialog only slavish obedience. The trick is in pointing out, constantly, his hypocrisy while safely arming oneself to the hilt. Violence, I believe, is coming and the US and Israel will play the usual victim card as an excuse for what will come.