This page has been archived and commenting is disabled.
Iran Warships Begin Suez Crossing
Despite indications that the US would attempt to forcefully box the Iranian warships in the Red Sea, first observed here, this strategy, if that was indeed the plan, has failed, and according to Egypt's state-run MENA agency, the Suez crossing for one (very old) Iranian frigate and one (very old) supply ship has commenced. Bloomberg reports: "The ships entered the canal early today after the approval of Egypt’s Defense Ministry, the state-run Middle East News Agency cited Ahmed El Manakhly, head of traffic at the Suez Canal Authority, as saying. The crossing usually takes 10 to 12 hours, El Manakhly said." Israel is, needless to say, unhappy: "Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor today said
that Israel would consider the presence of the warships sailing
through the canal to the Mediterranean Sea “a provocation”
that should be “dealt with by the international community.”
Palmor said he was citing previous comments by Foreign Minister
Avigdor Lieberman." Yet with tensions already on edge, the possibility that this latest war of words escalates into anything more is quite remote.
More:
The 120-mile (190-kilometer) waterway carries about 2.5 percent of world oil output, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc., and is a key route for ships carrying Asian consumer goods to Europe. Crude reached its highest level in a week in New York on Feb. 18 as tensions between Iran and Israel over the planned voyage helped to heighten concerns over regional instability. Oil jumped to the highest in more than two years in New York today as Libyan unrest stoked further concern over supplies.
The vessels, the 1,500-ton patrol frigate Alvand and 33,000-ton supply vessel Khark, are the first Iranian warships to use the waterway since the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled Iran’s pro-Western monarchy, according to Press TV. Alvand is armed with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, while Khark has a 250-member crew and can carry three helicopters, the Iranian state-run broadcaster said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Feb. 20 that Israel views with “gravity” Iran’s plan to send the vessels through the waterway, a move that he said highlights the need to increase his country’s defense budget. Lieberman said on Feb. 16 that Israel wouldn’t “ignore forever” such acts.
The ships will go to Syria, where they will anchor “for a few days” after a trip through the canal that is “routine according to international law,” Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency said cited the country’s ambassador to Syria, Ahmad Mousavi, as saying.
Our only question is whether the USS Enterprise, which as per the last update was on the Red Sea side of the Suez, will follow the two ships into the Mediterranean as a constant reminder that big brother is watching, or stay on the "pirate" side of the waterway.
»
- 5024 reads
- Printer-friendly version
- Send to friend
- advertisements -
DEPLOY THE DROIDS AND MAKE IT LOOK LIKE A ACCIDENT!
Could you please drop the caps lock, my dear? :)
Sudden D, might just be some caffeine-indosed maniac that's running the presses over at the mint and fills in the graveyard shift for the POMO kids while surfing SEC confiscated porn filing his turbo tax timmy return, drunk as fuck on red-bull katusha vodka smoking sticky hopium in a glass bong watching C-SPAN re-runs of "Change we can believe in".
TO ALL YOU ISRAEL-LOVING zIONIST HYENAS:
I ask you, where is your champion now?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
I am Chumbawamba.
A short 1000 years ago it was the Mediterranean side of the Suez Canal that was infested with pirates.
Remember, the important distinction is for neither side to turn radioactive.
There is only one country in that region that has nukes, nuclear technology that they stole of course from you know who with their sayanim traitors, who worked in our nuclear research, but I digress.
You sure must realize that it does not require any nukes to turn most of Israel's shoreline into a radioactive wasteland, right?
It only requires a ship, some radioactive material, favorable currents and evil, sick intentions. None of which seems to be in short supply in that region.
It would be a spectacular tourist attraction for a few hundred years, best viewed from the other side of the Mediterranean. It would be a fantastic view from space as well, that faint glow in the night.
Why would anybody do this? Who is a terrorist and who is not? Why would the Iranians want to do this? It makes no sense.
You, my friend, are awfully naive.
I ask you, capslock-impaired idiot:
WTF are you talking about? (grab a shovel and keep digging).
I LOVE YOU TO!!
AND BECAUSE YOU ASK IT SO NICELY, YOU CAN KISS MY ASS AND SUCK MY DICK!!
but no teeth, I'm sensitive that way...
ppffftt... I was going to give them these cool badges:
http://dailydeleon.com/assets/Star%2520of%2520David.jpg
BUT ONLY IF THEY ARE NICE AND SHOWER FIRST!
Hyenas are sweet by comparison, and have no loyalty or mendacity issues.
"Israel views with “gravity” Iran’s plan to send the vessels through the waterway, a move that he said highlights the need to increase his country’s defense budget"
Read - the USA needs to contribute more than the paltry 3Billion a year to Israel
Getting all worked up over a couple of old ww2 era tubs. These people cannot exist unless they have a conflict going on. If they had peace in the middle east the Israeli state would collapse under the weight of its own corruption.
What? the evil empire backing down? the streets will flood with white al quada!
1) We're not the evil empire.
2) Has anyone explained WHY we should really care if Iran sends ships through the Suez?
Iran's navy poses no material threat to anyone. If they are transporting supplies to Gaza...THEN it gets interesting. Lacking any statement of such intent, seems to me the Iranians are just wasting fuel on a pointless gesture.
TA-that's why the supply ship is hanging around-to supply the frigate.
We'll see what 'pointless gesture' they are up to in a skosh.
- Ned
Actually the US has assumed the mantle of Evil Empire with the expiration of the good ol' Soviets. I think the US is hoping the Chinese will assume the mantle once the US does collapse.
Yeah...I suppose whoever is perceived as top dog becomes the target, but I'd rather China assumes the mantle without the US collapse part.
You'll miss us as evil empire when we're gone, because we were so damn bad at keeping secrets you could always see through the bluff. I'll bet China will be really good at evil empiring, manipulating the world so efficiently that most conspiracists will continue to think it's the USA.
" Has anyone explained WHY we should really care "
oh come on - surely you realise Israel is just doing what comes naturally
to them ! I think about the wise words of
Mahathir Mohamed (the former Prime Minister of Malaysia)," "The Europeans killed 6 million Jews out of 12 million, but today the Jews rule the world by proxy," Mahathir told the Islamic meeting. "They get others to fight and die for them," he added.
Ignoring your anti-jew nonsense, you are missing the point. ZH is all in a tizzy over Iranian ships in the Suez, but the US government is NOT. See the comment here on ZH saying Obama is a pussy because he's not doing anything about it.
The media may be making a big deal about this, but the US government really is not.
Not to belabor the point, but where is the forensic evidence of the 6 million dead jews? How come, they did not go in there and dig around and find out who is buried and what happened to them etc and catalogue it? Hmmm, perhaps because it never happened??? Now see, I could get 3 years in prison in Australia, or Europe or Great Britain or Canada, for daring to bring that subject up, but so far we can still talk about that mean old holocaust here......
Pardon me for inciting a conspiracy but what if Iran is out to rile Israel in order to unite the Middle Eastern countries against them? Sending these old ships is sure to initiate some provocation and at a time when tempers are running hot in the Middle East, what better time to have a mutual enemy to point fingers at?!
Could it all be a state(Iran) game? I sure hope not but it just occurred to me that it would be quite a clever ploy.
Your are slow...roast...already postulated by many of us here last week. Since the ships are extremely old I think it holds an even higher chance of happening.
Will the two ships break down and sink in the canal since they are said to be extremely old?
And once sunk, what is the multiplier effect of underwater force propelled by tons of Semtex?
Fuck Israel.
Fuck Iran.
Fuck Portugal.
Hooray for Iceland!
Three cheers for Illinois.
Great taste.
Less filling.
fuck the lot of it.
Fuck Chicago...:)
One Bernank to fuck them all...
One Timmah to whine to them...
Why be redundant?
America, FUCK YEAH!
But they're so peaceful!
Israel says.
Israel says.
Israel says.
Like going to a bar with George Costanza, watching him pick fights with everyone, then telling you that you need to defend him.
The international community is sick of your shit, Avi.
Yep. Let them deal with their own problems.
USA is always covering for them and making excuses. Never condemning anything they do or go back on.
Israel is like a high drama girlfriend of the U.S.A.:
1. Always trying to get you to get in a fight over her.
2. Goes through your emails and texts to see if you are cheating on her.
3. All of your friends tell you to leave her.
4. No one else in the world sees what you see in her.
5. Costs tons of money to maintain her.
too true - the USSA is that stupid guy and will not figure it out till maximum pain is suffered.
ciao
++
Perfect!!
+1
High drama girlfriend? That's putting it mildly. More like a fucking psychotic, bunny boiling, Glen Close in Fatal Attraction, with a penchant for kleptomania, infanticide, and victim complex. She's just mad enough to sink both ships in the Med and play the victim, or more likely sink a US ship and pin it on a frigate built in 1968 that'll fall apart at a strong fart in its direction.
The Iranians declared their intentions to operate in the Med (Since everyone else seems to operate in their back yard) back in January, way before the whole ME revolution kicked off. Iran and Israel: Two disgusting regimes who truly deserve each other, and you'd have to be insane to pick one for your side.
Goddamn if that isn't an incredibly accurate summary of that bitch Isreal.
Couple more more points
0.1 She told you she was raped and abused and expects your hypersensitivity even to her actions completely unrelated to the rape.
0.5 If you fail rule 0.1 she calls you intolerant, selfish and too demanding.
iran sure picked a "funny" time to use the canal, after 30 years.
I'm sure it is all just a big misunderstanding. Maybe they just need a hug.
And it just happened to coincide with the deposing of Egypt's dictator.
Perhaps there's a a connection?
I am Chumbawamba.
rofl... you gotta ease up chumba, people haven't even had their morning coffee yet.
The frigate is jolly British made:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vosper_Thornycroft
What happens if the wind in the Suez dies down? What's going to fill the linen sails?
Why do i smell a false-flag alert somewhere. NOT in the Suez...
This whole thing was set up with muich public back and forth for good reason...
What's the left hand up to?
ORI
http://aadivaahan.wordpress.com/2011/02/21/through-a-lens-darkly/
Simple: because you are paranoid. Take your meds. :-)
Ah, a little paranoia, yes, at least I'm not delusional! ;-)
ORI
ORI any ideas as to what we might not be seeing?
thetruth, if they have lost control of the PM complex, even if temporarily, the other bog lever is oil.
Spike in oil will cause a massive deflationary scenario, especially if th ecause is supply disruption through one of so many causes.
A messed up Suez is one possibility.
But the moment I read your post, I saw the mid-western USA. Not even Wisconsin, where all the attention is focussed.
Chicago?
ORI
http://aadivaahan.wordpress.com/2011/02/21/through-a-lens-darkly/
send old ships cause you know they are going to get destroyed???? Full of nuclear waste???? Something is up....
Ships sail through Suez in convoys and for north bound trafic there is one convoy per day typically taking 10-14 hours to fully transit. Every ship has to file documents amongst others stating the cargo and I have heard FWIW the Iranian ships have stated they have no weapons on board.
This ship is a very old tub and in no way could be considered to change the balance of power, it will have no air cover and could be sunk in a few minutes by the Israelis. Much less a provocation than the three Israeli subs which recently went south?
It's not as if Iran has lots of other friendly nations where it could send its ships to is it?
It would be funny if the ships broke down in the Med, not a good advert for Iran.
If one Iranian destroyerand one support vessel in the Mediterranean is a "provocation" I wonder what you would call an American carrier task force in the Persian Gulf ??
Or a joo sub with stolen American nuclear weapons off Iran's coast in the Persian gulf?
Heil Hitler!
Last time there was a "provocation" in the Med it had something to do with a military attack on passenger vessels sailing in international waters. Israel at that time told the international community to go fuck itself. Do not see why the international community should pay any heed now.
The provocation prior to that occurred when a naval and air attack was made on the USS Liberty sailing in international waters. Several US servicemen were killed. Israel's response to queries from the US was "Go fuck yourself."
The US, as befitting its world stature as a joe boy did exactly as requested.
Junk away, you coward.
Sushi - sadly the USS Liberty lost more than several sailors. 25 to be exact. I wasn't even born when that happened but boils my blood to think about. Here is a list of the casualties: http://ussliberty.org/casualty.htm
On June 8, 1967, US Navy intelligence ship USS Liberty was suddenly and brutally attacked on the high seas in international waters by the air and naval forces of Israel. The Israeli forces attacked with full knowledge that this was an American ship and lied about it. Survivors have been forbidden for 40 years to tell their story under oath to the American public. The USS Liberty Memorial web site tells their story and is dedicated to the memory of the 34 brave men who died.
Great site. Thanks
http://www.gtr5.com/
The site you provided has a submission to the US Government detailing the fact that Israel's actions constitute a war crime.
An Israeli historian of that conflict determined that the Israeli high command was afraid that the USS Liberty was eavesdropping on their military communications and this would reveal the fact that Israeli forces were in the process of executing over 200 captured Egyptian POWs. This too is a war crime. The officer in charge of the executions was a pudknocker by the name of Ariel Sharon who later gained fame for his involvement in the Shatila massacre.
Surely Iran wouldn't use something like this...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/7632543/A-cruise-missile-in-a-shipping-box-on-sale-to-rogue-bidders.html
That was my first thought, but I don't think they would have sent it with a naval vessel. That's like a terrorist delivering a suitcase nuke to New York via tank. They would be using merchant vessels, probably ones that had permission to go into port.
We should have started to drill for oil here yesterday.
Obama is currently in contempt of court for imposing the oil drilling moratorium that was struck down by the Federal judge 6 months ago. Just announcing the lifting of the drilling ban would be a psychological relief to the markets.
And, we are the Saudi Arabia of coal and gas and our commies don't want us to use it.
Let's just give BP et al full license to foul everything they touch? These fukks deserve prison, not more opportunities to rape and pillage.
Smoke and mirrors don't need psychological relief.Oh, I get it...the illusion of psychological relief. Good one.
Coal needs better burning technology.
Eat some gulf shrimp, Mr. McCain Psy. D.
Drill here, drill now.
two (very old ) ships are crossing the Canal. The Germans would say "und?"
This is Iran's way of showing the world that the USA has a metrosexual pussy as CinC.
Maybe Michelle's Klingon blood will surface and she can give the order to blow those ships to hell. BAKH!!!
How's that Smart Diplomacy working out for you, Barak? Come out of the closet and admit you like the taste of Iranian ass.
Mommy reprimand you today?
You remind me of my neighbor's pitbull...aggressive, dumb, and neutered.
That is just what he wants you to think. Be smarter than the dog, pig boy.
Try to remember how that worked out last time.
Wow, so you think the USA should prevent Iranian ships from lawfully passing through the Suez? Violate international law, start another war, and all that so Obama can pound his chest and satisfy you that he's a macho CinC?
Dumb doesn't begin to cover it.
I think we should treat terror exporting countries different from others, yes.
If all he's got is chest pounding, I'd settle for that. Anything that gets Iran bitch slapped is a good thing.
America exports more terror than the rest of the world combined. I guess we need to invade ourselves first.
Remember, we created Iran (via blowback), al Qaeda (directly), Saddam (directly), and Castro (directly), just for starters.
Let's say that were true.
Isn't it, then, our duty in the brave new world, to end those very same monsters?
any ideas as to what it could be? just a simple distraction from the financial world?
They are sending the ships to pickup the gold and silver from the Comex, they have decided to take delivery...
Ssshhh. Don't tell the Somalis.
Banker's are heavily speculating in oil and this is an excellent opportunity for a further price spike?
It's obvious they're going to block the Suez Canal bitchez.
And when that doesn't happen, all of ZH will be looking for your next theory.
Spalding get your foot off the boat...
LOL
Who cares? CNBC is cheerleading the resiliency of the futures and Carmelo Anthony got traded to the Knicks.
Fuck the futures. They're more manipulated that the market, and that IS no secret.
We've had what 1 down week in the market in the last 4 months?
What if Iran put a nuke on the supply ship? Once you go nuke, and have a track record of exporting terrorism, you don't get the benefit of the doubt.
Sink 'em. Just to be sure.
Does not apply to the US of course...
Hooray war!
Lets put some more of our stupid troops though the meat grinder! Yes, let's do exactly that based on some fantasy of what might be! It's turned out so well every other time we have done it.
We're just rollin' in that Iraq War free oil.
What war? Iran couldn't even beat Iraq in a conventional war, and we rolled over Iraq like a train going over a sleeping hobo.
Is this statement from a former Israeli Defense Minister a provocation?
"A new State of Israel with broad frontiers, strong and solid, with the authority of the Israel Government extending from the Jordan to the Suez Canal."
How about this one:
"During the last 100 years our people have been in a process of building up the country and the nation, of expansion, of getting additional Jews and additional settlements in order to expand the borders here. Let no Jew say that the process has ended. Let no Jew say that we are near the end of the road."
Did'nt somebody have the idea to build another canal in these part's a few year's ago?
We need direct vacuum tubes through the core. Screw this boat business.
Why worry about a "false flag" event? The USS Cole got attacked in Yemen and Americans could hardly be bothered. The North Koreans sunk a South Korean naval vessel and all we get is Hillary's tough talk.
If the South Koreans aren't willing to restart the war over it, why should Hillary do more than talk tough?
"Not our problem" is a much less expensive foreign policy, don't you think?
Quick, look over there! It's an Iranian warship in the Suez!
O.M.G!
Did two used Mirage F1's with low airframe hours show up on Malta Craigslist yet?
Cool animation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6dKCkv1fzs&NR=1&feature=fvwp
Does that move sound like a stratagem? Take your pick: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty-Six_Stratagems
If the stratagem is "Creating something from nothing.", it's already a success.
That makes sense to see why there are some 5,000 ships moored along the windy UK and Netherlands way points - and near zero in and around the Suez? Smells of an Iranian Trojan Horse game of a rusty machine gun tugboat pulling another rusty, stalled-out, broken propeller cargo vessel - all carrying nuke-tipped little packages for all their friends.
Blow us and we'll blow it right back at ya!^!
http://contramanfund.wordpress.com/2011/02/01/nothing-to-see-suez/