National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby announced a plan to expand America’s military posture in the Middle East. The move comes as Washington hijacked an Iranian fuel tanker, provoking Iran to seize two ships in the Persian Gulf.
Kirby told reporters on Friday , “Today, the Department of Defense will be making a series of moves to bolster our defensive posture in the [Persian] Gulf.” The NSC spokesperson did not specify what additional forces will be deployed to the region. He said, “US central command will provide additional details on those reinforcements in coming days.”
The US and Iran began seizing commercial vessels in recent weeks. In April, Washington seized the Suez Rajan, a tanker carrying Iranian oil to China. Five days later, Iran confiscated a US-bound Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker, the Advantage Sweet, in the Persian Gulf. An American official told the Financial Times the seizure “appears to be in retaliation for a prior US seizure of Iranian oil.”
On May 3, Iranian forces took control over a second ship in the Gulf. The Panamanian-flagged oil tanker was in the Strait of Hormuz when it was seized by Tehran.
Kirby said the new military buildup in the region is to ensure “[The] United States will not allow foreign or regional powers to jeopardize freedom of navigation through the Middle East waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz.” He added there is “simply no justification” for Iran to attack merchant ships.
Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of US Naval Forces Central Command, echoed Kirby’s statement. “Iran’s unwarranted, irresponsible and unlawful seizure and harassment of merchant vessels must stop,” He said. “US 5th Fleet and our partners are committed to protecting navigational rights in these critical waters.”
The Navy claims Iran has interfered with at least 15 commercial ships over the past two years. However, the US and Israel have seized over a dozen Iranian vessels in recent years.
Kirby explained Washington expects its allies in the International Maritime Security Construct to aid its new operations. The bloc is made up of 11 countries , including America’s Mid East and NATO allies, and was formed in 2019. The Navy says the new military operations will include increased air and sea patrols with its coalition partners.
The relationship between Washington and Tehran has deteriorated since President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran Nuclear Deal in 2018. While President Joe Bide campaigned on returning to the deal, his administration failed to enter into serious negotiations with Tehran.
Discussions between the US and Iran about reviving the nuclear agreement ended last year. Adding to the tensions, Washington has accused Tehran of aiding Moscow’s war in Ukraine, claimed Iranis using proxies in Syria to attack American forces, and slammed the Islamic Republic for its treatment of protesters.
While Biden’s foreign policy has called for a realignment to focus on “great power conflicts” with Russia and China, his administration has slowly increased America’s military footprint in the region. In March, the White House ordered an aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East.
Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com, news editor of the Libertarian Institute, and co-host of Conflicts of Interest.
They’re tip-toeing around an armed conflict with Iran as if anyone gives a damn about their bullshit justifications for war. Listen jackass, it’s either the people you force to go along with it, or the people who think you’re a damn monster. Either way, just stop the act. It’s beyond tiresome and nobody believes you anymore.
If you are looking for a problem, you just might find it….Bye-Done….
Note that pathological liar Kirby provides no details about ‘how’ the US intends to ‘bolster’ its
defensive posture in the region, which has turned against Washington.
America faces significant geo-political, logistic and military challenges in the Middle East in 2023, that did not exist in early 2021.
Geo-political challenges: look at a map and you’ll see that American ‘allies’ are few and far between in the Middle East these days. Excluding Israel, I guess they have Bahrain, UAE, Oman and Morocco but that’s about it.
That debacle in Afghanistan was extremely damaging to American credibility in the region. But it’s not just that – the region is now pivoting away from Washington. Saudi is lost and restoring ties with Iran, Syria is back in the fold of the Arab League, Iraq is lost etc.
All this portends an ongoing rapid collapse of US influence and power in the region.
Logistics – the main US naval base is in
Bahrain, not ideal for actions to police Suez
Canal traffic. Not just that – the Russians are
developing a major naval base in the Sudan,
on the western side of the Canal, and Iran has
always had the ability to shut down the Straits
of Hormuz on the Eastern side.
Military – the Iranians pose a far stronger military threat these days. They have a formidable missile drone arsenal, and will soon have a strong fleet of Russia SU57 strike aircraft. There’s a reason why the Americans have been very wary about taking them on.
The US must also deal with Russian naval power. I note that the new Russia frigate Gorshkov, armed with hypersonic weapons that can easily sink an aircraft carrier, docked in Jeddah recently. Not just that – their.new subs are likely active in the region and have been causing major headaches for the US, as the US naval command admitted to the US Congress just last week.
The world has changed so much in just 2 years. It really is mind-blowing. What a pity the American ‘leadership’ seems stuck in the 1990s, deluding themselves that they still have some form of hegemonic status.
So again – given the above, HOW will the US be able to contain Iran, Mr Kirby? Or are your words just more hot air?
I think we know the answer.
Well said, Scipio! Bravo!
Mr. Kirby is Full of Hot Air he is floating above the ground…!
Hot air is a polite term for bullshit.
Everything in the US and its foreign interests is crashing and the morons running this country do not have a clue to stop it. All Empires crash and its is our turn.
Your Honor, I did assault that person – but it was purely defensive!!
In a tit-for-tat move, Iran seized one ship after the US seized one ship to enforce its sanctions.
The other ship seized had been in a collision, killed two seamen, and then tried to flee the scene, all clear violations of Admiralty law as enforced even by the US. This is familiar to motorists in America as “leaving the scene of an accident” and “failure to render aid.” Serious offenses. The tanker that did all that was foreign owned and flagged in the Marshall Islands, so not really a US issue except that we chose to abuse Iran.
The Marshall Island shipping registry is administered by the American company International Registries, Inc. and headquartered in Reston, Virginia.
Who cares about laws anymore. All that is left is raw determination to either resist power or enforce the same.
All this is a whim of power. Too much power in too few hands. That is the definition of West today. Those tentacles are everywhere.
Art is only art if the authotlrity bestowed by power on some — decides it is. Same for music or sport. Power in few hands distributs money through appropriate channels to reward or punish. It selects what musicians will come to the top and who will stay anonymous, ii decides who will have a chance to go to Olympics, World Cup.
They decide which religion will be respected and which one abused openly. So openly that the wrong religion can have its property stolen in broad daylight.
Decides which nationalities are our favorites and which ones can be abused and persecuted in broad daylight. Ancient hatreds are being sold as promoting democracy,, eugenics as freedom of choice, brutal deindustrialization as wonders of globalization, financialization of everything including life itself as the ONLY economy possible.
Modern Al Capone empire will not go down because laws are violated. It can be only deprived of space to ply its trade. As the space for getting returns on sucking out ill- gotten riches narrows, finances based on expectations of exponential growth — eventually give up the ghost.
They are abusing not only the international laws but also the laws of Nature which definitely is counterproductive. They are like a drunken fool pissing against the wind. Their trousers got wet but they didn’t noticed it, not yet.
I love your analogys
IMHO a superb piece of writing with keen insight of what is happening.
Anne Sacoolas fled the scene of an accident back to the US after she drove on the wrong side of the British motorway and killed a young man on a motorcycle.
If she is a member of the DC or is related to one , she would have diplomatic protection and not face charges in a court of the country they are stationed in.
To think, Biden was VP when the Iran agreements were signed, a little good will and credible diplomacy could have solved the issues a long time ago. But more military is more profitable for Biden and his mentors.
Our leadership{sic} is making many stupid and foolish decisions in a feeble attempt to keep their Empire and Economy up and running while making the population suffer.
“Kirby told reporters on Friday , “Today, the Department of Defense will be making a series of movesto bolster our defensive posture in the [Persian] Gulf.”
That would be fine, if it was true. Of course, he’s a liar in this as in all things. He’s compulsive.
That “series of moves” is to prepare for the long-desired attack on Iran. Our neocons keep hoping, with “itchy trigger fingers” of the bad guys in the old Western movies.
Rereading Huntington is in order. Exploiting internal divisions or any regional tensions is the secret of success. This is why the newcway ofvorganizing such as SCO or BRIKS has been successful in countering such strategies.
Iran:
“Just wait until we shut down the Straits of Hormuz. Bwahaha!”
What will that do to gas prices?
“[Kirby] added there is ‘simply no justification’ for Iran to attack merchant ships.” Tit-for-tat, Kirby! Get used to it. Is the aircraft carrier that will be sent to the Persian Gulf the U.S.S. Sitting Duck? Carriers are SO last century.
It will be interesting to see. Distance between Oman and Iran at Straits of Hormuz is less than territorial waters plus EEZ to which both countries are entitled to under UNCLOS convention. Let us see if US can still pull of not askung for permissiin under innocent right of passage provission, Because these moves are anything but innocent.
Maybe Iran could send its aircraft carrier to Chesapeake Bay… Oh right, they don’t even have an aircraft carrier, let alone… You finish the sentence.
That is because Iran does not go around the world planting military bases or bullying other countries, which begs the need for aircraft carriers. Iran has not attacked another country in 500 years. We, the U.S. of A. , the “house on the hill”, have been at war for all by 16 years of our existence. I love my country, but our history is pocked with bad intentions.
V, I’ll love my country a whole bunch more after the Revolution commences.
I am not religious but I will hope and pray that it happens before we are dead. Viva La Revolucion
The US has been at war for over 93% of the time since the declaration of independence.
230 years out of 247.
Clearly Iran wants war. Otherwise why would they put their country so close to US military bases and aircraft carriers?
😂
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f4012df37582dc0dc757874d006f35146208ab540cd44d0a92e224b6bd510057.jpg
For PEACE.
Beautiful icon Donna!
Hi Gypsy:
I live in Nuevo Mexico and her image is very much part of our culture here.
I can certainly appreciate that Donna, having been raised Catholic myself.
My mother was a practicing Catholic until she died at age 96. When she was in a rehab facility after breaking her hip, her Hispanic roommate had several icons of the Virgin in their room. They remained friends for the rest of their lives.
And my given name is Mary Elizabeth, though I’ve always been called “Beth”. I love the name Mary but at my age it’s a bit late to change!
🙂
Thomas,you have a great sense of humor. We are going to need it.
I love my 3/4 acre lot. I’ve seceded from the US and now live in a country called, “Imafreak”.
Wars, can we call you Freakazoid Floyd? 😁
Hmmm, seceding is a great idea! I do believe I’ll declare my farm seceded. It’s already named “Black Crow Farm”.
Because we love our crows.
I actually stole that name from an old song I heard when I was in the Army. A beautiful song by Mason Proffit called “Two Hangmen”. Here’s the first verse:
As I rode into Tombstone on my horse whose name was Mac
I saw what I relate to you goin’ on behind my back
It seems the folks were up in arms a man now had to die
For believin’ things that didn’t fit the laws they’d set aside
The man’s name was I’m a freak the best that I could see
He was an executioner a hangman just like me
I guess that he’d seen loopholes from workin’ with his rope
He’d hung the wrong man many times so now he turned to hope.
Awesome, Wars!!
Anybody know the cash value of a Nuclear Aircraft Carrier with 100 or so modern jets and value of 6000 American sailors lives to their familys
Why was John Kirby fired from being a Surface Warfare Officer after his first deployment on a navy ship? Don’t ask and don’t tell.
Because of politics he was allowed to stay in the Navy as a public relations talking head.
Imagine if Iran announced it was “increasing its military presence” in the Gulf Of Mexico.
If the US is increasing its military presence in the Persian gulf then it has to be decreasing it’s presence elsewhere.
The American ruling class: truly as easy to despise as it gets. If any member of that despicable lot approached my property I’d have them arrested for disturbing the peace.
Hopefully with a shotgun in your arms.
“Washington Will Increase Military Presence in the Persian Gulf” More than it already is? This title could be a better example of a paradox than: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”–George Orwell
Very appropriate NA., quoting Orwell. We are living in an Orwellian nightmare.
Never forget Donna, Big brother is watching. The NSA, FBI or CIA all have ears everywhere.Just because you are paranoid does not men that someone is not after you.
Thanks Wendell! I love being called “paranoid”. 😉
I am sorry I was not talking about you.I was being funny.
https://english.almayadeen.net/articles/opinion/israeli-schism—-the-contagion-spreads-to-us
Authored by Alastair Crooke. Israeil Schism–The Contagion Spreads to the US.
The warmongers desire for destruction can never be satiated.
Or,
“Washington Doubles Down On Maintaining The Empire”
Of course, the USA can steal anything from anyone but the rest of us MUST NOT. The Persian Gulf is of course the property of the mighty USA, which is in charge of the globe because of its democracy, love of peace and diplomatic skills.
lol……………………………………………………….
A step towards honesty would be to pull down the stars and stripes on that carrier and replace it with the Jolly Roger. Same goes for that US base in Syria.
All the trouble they already caused in the region when respectable diplomacy could have solved the problems a long time ago. But that takes good will which the Americans, both parties, just don’t have.
If the Chinese or the Russians arm the Iranians with the new missiles that can not be stopped all sailors in the US Navy should sue for hazard pay or get out of the Navy. No amount of money is worth your life defending the Imperial designs of the US.Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.