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US Re-escalates, Responds To Iran Warning
Earlier today, we reported of Iran's threat to further escalate if the US were to bring back its aircraft carrier (either CVN74 or any other one) back into the Persian Gulf. Now, the US has just decided to call Iran's bluff. From Bloomberg:
- CARRIER DEPLOYMENTS IN GULF WILL CONTINUE, U.S. SAYS
- PENTAGON SAYS NAVY TRANSITS THROUGH STRAIT OF HORMUZ ARE NECESSARY TO SUPPLY U.S. MISSIONS IN GULF REGION
- U.S. MILITARY MOVEMENTS IN PERSIAN GULF `REGULARLY SCHEDULED'
- U.S. RESPONDS TO IRAN WARNING AGAINST FUTURE CARRIER MOVES
And so the fully-armed grenade is now back in Iran's court.
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Work the shaft... Caress the...
or, as Andrew Dice Clay might put it...
"Get down there & CONCENTRATE!"
If you want to have sex, gimme one good tug. If not, tug 200 times.
wait, Iran told us not to move carriers through international waters?? O....k.....
You declared them internatinal waters or there are some legal treaties which declare them intl?
When the U.S. moves a carrier through the Strait of Hormuz, they are moving through Iranian territorial waters.
According to generally-accepted international law, ships, including warships in theory, enjoy the right of unimpeded transit.
http://strait-of-hormuz.com/content/view/3/4/
The US can be accused of bad manners in the Strait, but then so can Iran.
When the bickering between Nations begins to sound like the bickering of children, the wise take cover.
--- Old Ori Proverb
Meanwhile, Syria is really burning, but talk is of course far more important than a few thousand people a week dying in an exact and exacting replay of Libya.
ori
/2012-the-year-of-anomaly/
Exact replica of Libya? Hardly. There's no oil down there.
Escape, that was the reason for Libya (perhaps the gold too). I'm talking about the modus operandi.
As old as this...and who owns the press by the way? That tells us who si saying what, when?
The business of financing Monarchs was lucrative. The Rothschilds had developed several traits in the ghetto that made their family hard to stop. "The great gift the Frankfurt ghetto bestowed upon him [James Rothschild] was adaptibility, a quality matched by the driving force of his ambition, his prodigious energy, tremendous powers of concentration, and determination to get even [with Christians]. James set out to make his place in the world." (p.40) The five Rothschild brothers, each in the five major European capitals set up their own private courier system which was faster than the regular mail. The Rothschilds had news whether political or economic faster than anyone else including the monarchs. "Thus the Rothschilds had news before anyone else, including ministers [govt.]; they also understood how to make use of it." [Somewhat akin to how money could be made off of knowing the future.] The Rothschilds nomal correspondence to each other was in code.Their world was one of finance, politics and secrecy. In the anti-Napoleonic time period, the Rothschilds increased their wealth ten-fold. "...James. He enjoyed, moreover, a rock-solid strength and stability, built up by his family, that family simultaneously closed tight like a fist, united by mutual confidence and an invisible wall of secrecy, yet wide open to the outside world. Such was the cohesion of the Rothschilds that the removal of one or more of them left no gap in their common defenses."
Perhaps not an exact replica. But as Mark Twain said, "history doesnt repeat itself, but it often rhymes".
Anyway, where do you suppose the perfect place to put an oil pipeline for Iran is? Allowing them to distribute oil and close the strait simultaniously?
Additionally, Syria is the only significant crude oil producing country in the Eastern Mediterranean region, much like Libya was the largest producer of light sweet crude, and a major oil supplier in its own area.
Also, the same US proxies are there;
https://www.google.com/search?q=Abdel+Hakim+Belhaj+in+syria&ie=utf-8&oe=...
And the same US military training for the "spontanious uprising"
http://rt.com/usa/news/us-nato-syria-edmonds-709/
Anyway, this isn't entirely about oil, its about replacing secular dictators with chaos and Sunni militants in the run up for a war against the Shia.
The strategy is pretty simple, anyone that might be ideologically or financially persuaded to join with Iran (shias and secularists) must be replaced either by
A) Radical Islamist Sunnis
or B) A smoldering crater.
Very well said all around DSquared.
ori
Where is the Stennis right now? Can we get some real time data? A webcam perhaps?
Stennis is in Arabian Gulf, soon to be relieved by the Vinson.
So it will be the Vinson that goes into the gulf. Any thoughts on the timing?
Our Rods are bigger then your Rods.
If they tell me my grandmother wears army boots, it'll be GAME ON...
Your grandmother wears army boots.
Sincerely,
they
Alright then (says Bugs Bunny to Yosemite Sam)...
"I dare you to cross THIS line" (draws another line in sand)...
Rinse and Repeat until line is over a cliff? But who is drawing the line, Iran or US? It seems like Iran is baiting US into a conflict (or bluffing) the US wants anyway. This should end well........ Better fill up your gas tanks now, oh and of course, silver bitchez!
But who is drawing the line, Iran or US?
Maine... Lusitania... Pearl Harbor... Operation Northwoods... Gulf of Tonkin... 9/11...
I suspect the answer LIES somewhere thereabouts...
Neither, but that doesn't mean big oil and defense don't draw lines for business, your butthole and as much looting from therein as possible.
I always thought Iran's posturing was just for local consumption. But this latest 'dare' they're issuing is fucking madness. They must know they can't win a war with the US. OK, they can sink a few ships *maybe*, cause trouble for our masters Israel, and stir things up in Iraq and Afghanistan. But so what? The US won't invade Iran - they'll just obliterate their army, navy, air force, factories, power plants, infrastructure, hospitals and government from the air... all with conventional weapons. They won't bother with boots-on-the-ground regime change, they've learnt their lessons from Iraq and Afganistan. Just bombing Iran back to the stone age will meet their purposes nicely.
I'm almost beginning to believe the 'they can't be trusted, because they WANT apocalypse so the 12th Imam will come" shtick the neocons are always trying to pull.
"They won't bother with boots-on-the-ground regime change"
& create a "power vacuum" sitting on top of all that nice pretty oil? (as well as, ostensibly, control over SOH traffic)... I'd beg to reconsider...
"bombing Iran back to the stone age "
Back?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nuCETPrGtY
learned? no - they haven't learned squat - they didn't learn anything from Vietnam, or from the russian invasion of Afgahnistan - otherwise they would've dropped a hell of a lot more than 100k troops in there. The only way out of this depression is war - a big one... it does the trick EVERY time. the only question is where russia and china will watch this from - the sidelines or the frontlines. let not even bring up the pakis, the egyptians, etc...
War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothin'. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01-2pNCZiNk
well, it does enrich bankers and erode the well being of millions of ordinary people. another plus in the banker column. also gives fascist governments more grist to push their agenda. so it seems its all a matter of perspective.
Going long undertakers.
According to Rick Santorum on Glenn Beck this morning, our military forces need to attack Iran in order to prevent a war with Iran. I can't see how people believe this shit any more, but I have family members that take the preventative war line down like a Pacu fishing biting a man's testicles till castration - http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/886011-testicle-eating-fish-that-killed-two-men-caught-by-british-angler#ixzz1iPeBnw00
So if the new annoited media darling makes his way into the White House war will continue to be good for those that make shit that blows shit up.
In case you haven't heard: Santorum is SURGING!!!
this asshole was disposed of by the good people of pa. now the whole country has to deal with this fuckface...
we had local elections here in baltimore years ago.....got rid of this guy in county govt. he lost, but got an appt. from the next asshole for twice the pay...
yes it is your duty to vote{they tell me}....but even when we win we lose...
Testicle eating fish, or the idea of "Santorum" surging. Hard to pick which idea is more disgusting.
The acolytes of Dionysus used to cut off their testicles and toss them through the open windows of homes during ancient festivals according to Frazer's Golden Bough.
"Pacu fishing biting a man's testicles till castration - http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/886011-testicle-eating-fish-that-killed-two-men-caught-by-british-angler#ixzz1iPeBnw00"
So the women who were cheated on blamed the fish and got away with it????????????
Dr. Head??? I didn't know my girlfriend was posting on this site....
Perhaps we can enlist Santorum's own children and those fucking 20 kid freaks that endorsed him to go kill some Iranians...
AP's Peter Arnett won the pulitzer in Vietnam in 1968 in large part for a single quote by an american officer after the US levelled the provincial capital of Ben Tre - "It became necessary to destroy the the town to save it" . The search for WMD's in Iraq produced another bounty of gobblespeak by politicians and a certain NYT reporter after they couldn't be located. My point is that justification will always appear no matter how tenuous it is. I personally have a greater fear of provacative action by North Korea than Iran.
War is as much a part of the human experience as procreation ! War is the mechanism of evolution that made us smarter than the other monkeys ! That's what it's good for ! It lengthens your genetic code ! What is Edwin Starr good for....picking bananas ? Certainly not good for philosophy ! Famine is good, greed is good too ! Monedas 2012 Comedy Jihad Barking Persian Dogs Don't Bite....They Just Gum Your Dick ! The glory days of Persia were a couple of thousand years ago when "We" ran the place ! The current "Pistachio Pickers" don't wash their hands after picking their noses....buy California machine processed, clean Pistachios !
http://www.howtobefunny.net/
I have no idea if they're any good, but frankly you need to do something.
I find life fascinating....even with it's "blemishes" ! Better to be happy than curry favor with people who want to kill you ! How sick is that ?
Take a stand against modern slavery.....don't buy Iranian pistachios.....picked by unwashed, underfed children ! Monedas 2012 Comedy Jihad Love To Quote CNN Bilge ! PSA: They strap fencing masks over the childrens faces so they don't eat the product and they beat their bare backs with "training" chains !
Question for the class, clipped from last thread:
How much, exactly, would the US obliterate if all Iran did was sink or damage the Stennis or another US combat ship?
Please keep your answers to less than a paragraph. Quantify the number of targets, and specify the political/strategic objectives the US would pursue.
Inexact analogy: How much did the US obliterate when Iraq damaged the USS Stark during the Tanker War in the Gulf (hint: nada)? Funny how context matters...Iran may think it has a strategic winner here.
@Jim
In all seriousness... You mention "targets" (which I interpret to be military &/or infrastructure), and then you mention "political/strategic objectives" in the same sentence...
I'd consider them to me mutually exclusive in the context of the argument (which is usually the cocktail of SNAFU's in the past)...
So probably, the USS Stark analogy would not apply... JTOL
I'm afraid I don't understand what you are saying here. Military actions should be entirely inclusive of political/strategic objectives, correct?
The problem as I see it is, we don't have any strategic objectives in Iran except to kick the can past the Presidential election while parroting standard doctrine (which is why the US Fifth Fleet is mysteriously assuming the role of elocutor for the entire US government--autopilot).
Which in turn is why Iran can play this like a fiddle...until someone screws up and shoots.
I read somewhere that the commanders in the actual ships on both sides all talk to each other and are more sane than the pols.
Commanders are mostly sane most of the time and the command structure can offline sporadic stupidity/insanity quite well. No one, in their right mind, wants to engage and suffer material and human losses.
The real problem usually is the combination of weak political figures and incompetent diplomacy. Both Iran and the US get the gold medal here...
What I'm saying is that IT IS what it has always has been...
- Politicians see a political football...
- Bankers see PROFITS (on both sides)...
- Military guys see toys to play with, people to kill, & shit to blow up...
---
The best to hope for all three to NOT MEET in the same room... Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out that way...
@gangland
& regarding your comment... When considering the 'sanity' of the commanders... In the above equation, the MILITARY GUYS are 'following orders', so they hardly have a say in the matter (whereas the bankers & politicians are giving the orders and laying out the battlefield)...
you're right, I probably shouldn't have posted that nonsense, sort of Pollyanna-ish.
I don't know the exact dates, but in the 80's...
There were several Iranian ships sunk at the pier as well as numerous small boats and oil platforms which were hit with cluster bombs and other direct attacks.
There's also the case of an airliner which fell from the sky (Vincennes incident). I believe the Vincennes was at the time manuvering and firing on numerous small boats in the area. This incident is the key to understanding how to make the US Navy look bad. Pick one ship, overwhelm it with too many inputs for the captain and crew to deal with and you'll have some luck with either damaging / sinking that ship or at the very least provoking them into doing something which makes them look "bad".
I would add that the Navy Captains in that area are probobably bound by a large number of rules of engagement. They are not allowed to simply clear the area of everything. They are constrained to only respond.
If it truly is "game on" and the Navy is let off the leash, Iran will have a very short time to get their sailors onto dry land and relative safety.
If Iran throws the first punch, it's hard to see what the US will do that will make them look 'bad'. The rest of the world would see Iran attacking a ship in international waters and would come to the conclusion that West wants them to: that Iran is mad, bad, and too dangerous to be allowed to own nukes (leave aside whther Iran actually is developing nukes, of course)
I suppose if Iran attacked the carrier while there was a lot of other shipping in the area, and used the other shipping for cover, and then the US wound up sinking other countries' ships, it would look a bit bad. But is it worth having the US bomb you back into the stone age for?
Sick puppy, liberal, armchair Admirals who detest war ? Liberals love war....they feel guilty about their sick fascination and blame the peace through strength crowd for keeping the peace.....but, the bottom line for them is governments grow during wars and we become one big family standing in line with our ration coupons and gossiping ! How tender ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:OperationPrayingMantis-IS_Alvand.jpg
Something like this?
We didn't do a whole lot but Iran didn't like what we did do.
Great. TBTF banks now fully engaged in arbitraging any hopes of "improved manufacturing gains" or "forecasted gains in income" by draining any and all disposable income at the pumps.
Expect a surge in retail gasoline prices, as Wall Street pulls forward and cashes in, in a couple hours, on anything positive that Q1 could possibly produce.
Squid.
Here's a theory:
The restaurant group within Consumer Discretionary has simply been following the price action of the shares of MCD. The group apparently has no idea that the the DOW is rocking, and QE3 is coming and L. Blankfien is in da house, and puts are FREE and we be recovering AGAIN, and Romney is our man in Iowa.
That high end and low end alike are following the price action of the Golden Arches...brilliant!
Look at 'em all reverse.
Obama, the war starter!
U f'n A hole!
You don't actually think the teleprompter-in-chief has any real say in this, do you?
A-Team
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_duty_United_States_four-star...
You don't actually think the teleprompter-in-chief has any real say in this, do you?
I expect him to look & sound real "Presidential" as he reads the words "HOPE & REGIME CHANGE" off the teleprompter...
They are just pushing up the price....Iran will never be that stupid to attack a US fleet!
Unless they strike first off course....that all hell will break loose.
Iran doesn't have to attack for there to be war.
The US just has to claim that they attacked.
With oil ramping to choke off the economy, a war provides excuse for another SPR drain pre election day.
For the record, you struck first and repeatedly. For those of us paying attention, it has been all too clear. Sadly the narrative will read closer to your 'facts' than actuality.
vae victis
history books - written by the winners - usually describe how nasty the aggressor was...
G-man,
Via Wikipedia:
"Vae victis" is the motto of the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment (United States Army), B company, and was on a patch worn during deployment in Iraq '07-'08."
I see the €-gloom hasn't deterred you from here yet so you're back for more in 2012, eh?
One word: Stuxnet.
yes, I had a good 2011 and wish you a good 2012 - and you are starting cranky, if I may...
Stuxnet does not count, it's covert and deniable
the aggressor started by stealing drones and refusing to give them back, remember?
you just need to read the majority of the comments around here
Fine. The script it is.
Comments here should be forgotten as soon as you leave the site, some articles, however, should not.
They have attacked the fleet in the past. Read up on the "tanker wars" back in the 80's.
Doesn't Iran have a shitload of anti-ship missiles sitting on their coast waiting for precisely such an attack? I think Iran can ONLY be successful if it strikes first, and all out against the carrier group. Sinking a US carrier would be a first in the post WWII world I believe, and might seriously reduce the American capability to attack Iran in the near future. Of course we'd eventually fuck 'em up, but it would level the playing field quite a bit if it looks like war is a foregone conclusion. Our Iranian "Cuban Missile Crisis" may just be getting under way...
The US has land based aircraft all around Iran, and some of USA aircraft can fly from the US or Europe, if necessary. No matter what Iran does in a first strike, there would be a "shock and awe" response, if so desired.
Not making any judgements here, but that is simply how it is.
they won't sink one...we might be baiting them to try to hit one because that would justify a response
But all is well! DOW up 3%!
Correlated to weakness in USD. Drop a few bombs in Hormuz and the Dollar will shoot up like a Titan missile.
No doubt, wouldnt take much.
Even better :
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/01/bank-of-america-cuts-off-credit-sma...
Bank of America Cuts Off Credit to Some Small BusinessesBank of America is severing lines of credit for some of its small-business owners and calling due full payment on existing debts. Absent that, the bank is offering businesses abbreviated repayment plans at high interest rates.
Yep, they fattened themselves on Uncle FEDs teat and now is time to shut off the spigot and collect the real property.
Great gig if you can do it.
But, when they are all roasting on a stake, they will realize that screwing over a population because you can is NOT in your own best interest.
pods
I doubt they'll be thinking that at all. These guys don't have enough character or intelligence for that sort of thought.
They'll have not the first clue and will be wondering, why is everyone so angry?
Someone has to stop the criminal enterprise that has become the US. We're all ultimately up the proverbial shit creek otherwise; but I'm afraid a military approach just isn't going to do it.
If something triggers sustained $150 oil you can bet we will be stopped.
pods
it so obvious...
bitch ass america once again laying the groundwork...
tryin to punk Iran, until they snap and pop a cap...
question is, what are all u mother fuckers out there gonna do about it when this shit jumps off...
aint no fucking marches and "peaceful" protest gonna mean a damn thing to the sociopaths who run ur fucking "fake ass" government for the people, by the people, and n the interest of the people.....i said over and over again since i embraced this community here at the Zero...
AINT A MOTHER FUCKING THING GONNA CHANGE UNTIL THEIR KIND START GETTING GOT THE SAME WAY THEY DOIN EVERYBODY ELSE...
u cant talk peace and love with sociopaths...THEY GOTTA EAT DIRT....
Indubitably.
"bitch ass america once again laying the groundwork..." Who's "america?" More explicitly who is considered an American? I'd argue that those who govern may have lost the title of American by really being traitors.
In other news Tehran Times is offering the American people suggestions: http://tehrantimes.com/politics/94176-americans-should-topple-ruling-regime-irgc-general-
It's a sad day when the news from your "sworn enemy" is more in your interest than the "news" of your own country.
I thought the labels "American". "Rebel", "Revolutionary" and "Traitor" described the same people in the days of King George? ;-)
I bet you are all still paying taxes , if you are you like killing people as much as the government.
"what are all u mother fuckers out there gonna do about it when this shit jumps off..."
Do you mean when the war starts? I don't think all the mother fuckers are going to do anything until conscription starts and they are threatened with removal from in front of their TV sets.
When this is all over will Obummer get another peace prize? Will they create a new "Peace through strength" prize? How many more brown people will we bomb? This could not possibly have any blow back.
We are already getting blow back. Japan and Russia have said they will not go along with the sanctions against Iran. Turkey is upset as is India, the UAE, and the Saudies. So far I have only seen Greece and France agreeing going along with it (until they get all the ballout $ they think they can out of us, and then they will change their tune.)
List of Top 10 counties that buy Iranian Crude:
http://www.iranoilgas.com/news/details2/?type=news&p=current&newsID=8931&restrict=no
The stupiest thing about the US sanctions is that we have banned Iranian imports since the 1980's, and to the best of my knowledge have no direct dealings with the Iranian Central Bank. The sanctions are war mongering pure & simple. It looks like no countries with any funds of their own are on our side.
And the middle class/small businesses can't afford the financial hit from higher gas.
We are so screwed.
Why not start a war with Iran?
Gotta blame the global clusterfuck on SOMEBODY.
Weapons of mass distraction.
I detect a whiff of mass psychosis. TPTB are triumphant again. People really do love war. Silly rabbits.
right or wrong, my country
the Tsar also needed some patriotic war from time to time
What if the 5th didn't come back?
Time for Isreal to Air Strike the Nuclear Sites being an election year Obama can NOT come out against Isreal it would cost him the election if he had any hope of winning in the first place-- Go Isreal take them out--
Nukes?
Israel: 300
Iran: 0
8500 Russia ICBM Class
1000 China ICBM Class
120 Pakistan. Crap class, but does the job.
So who wins again?
'So who wins again?'
Nobody.
We're not yet at Desperation Nation levels but I've been wrong before...
Iran and her allies could take a longer term view and BTFD; how many kilograms of Ag are in a standard cruise missile? right now it would take roughly 30BN USD to take out the entire {alleged} physical production per year assuming scrap rates continue- while it might not work right away it beats the hell out of losing all that infastructure besides it would really be a kick in the nuts for LLLLOYd and Jamie, collapse the banks a little quicker and best of all they could change that retarded fucking chant from DEATH TO AMERIKA to SILVER BITCHEZ........
and on another note:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7DFsBcVMDA
why would Russia or China care about Iran enough to nuke someone?
Israel could hit China too...and Pukistan.
Why US would care about Iran? Maybe this is better question.
News is news, the Russians and Chinese have expressed that anyone touches their business interests they will be displeased. Russia I expect it from, China usually deals with this stuff behind closed doors and summoning Tim Geithner. The fact they are publicly on record in the last month.
I'll see the odd HuppPo fish wrapper piece but, according to that news paper I'm the bane of the world for owning my own business so it's usually summarily discarded as a source. That a side.
Every paper that's not English speaking, both left and right wing has been talking about it with a lot of interest for about a month. Because the Chinese aren't typically theatrical players in geopolitics.
Why would he lose? Jews are 2% of the American public. The only ones who support Israel whatever they do are the crazy religious nutjobs and they vote Republican.
But yeah, Obama will suck up to Israel.
The only one who doesn't is Ron Paul.
Is that like 2% inside the 1% which is not the 99% ???
Dr. Paul, the only candidate that never visited Israel.
Fuck Israel...
They're like the little pussy nerd kid in Elementary school who makes friends with the big huge retarded kid to prevent all the bullies from giving him wedgies...
Your tax dollars hard at work...
Israel is not going to strike first or second.
like we don't have enough to deal with :) Can they take away Obama's peace prize?
Everything was sabre rattling up until now. The key for the next phase, which I believe is armed conflict directly with Iran, is that the Assad regime is on its heels with the "revolution" and in no way can assist Iran. This gives Israel room to breathe and focus on Hizbollah.
We enter Iran, Russia and China will become involved. Period. Syria is a joke in the grand scheme, just another regime toppling courtesy of the boys in blue helmets. Isreal has less room to breathe than you think. Palestinian pressure and Egyptian military on their southern border, Iran with miussiles that can reach isreal with ease, Iraq in political turmoil, Syria and Lebanon in turmoil, and now Turkey is eyeballing Isreal. The MENA region was unstable to begin with. This will push them all over the edge, and very possibly alienate the US from it's allies in the region.
dont forget pakistan and also I would not want to live in taiwan if ww3 actually happens.
Actually, I have wondered why Iran has thus far hesitated to employ any number of fairly low-level military options which would sufficiently snarl Hormuz traffic but not lead to its own destruction. Tipping oil prices higher via a manufactured lower echelon "incident" would have such a disastrous effect on the fragile and vulnerable economies of the West that you don't need to go ballistic to have the desired crippling effect. I'd say Iran has quite a hand grenade in its hand.
Exactly, Iran could easily set oil markets reeling if they wanted to by a small incident, and why havent they? Well theres still this afternoon, and tomorrow.
The new volcanic islands forming in the Strait may be the big surprise in all this "cross/don't cross this line" crap.
Would be interesting, no?
Things suddenly go KABOOM! and it has nothing to do with US/Iranian idiocy.
Red Sea ?
The US has prooved that they can totally destroy any nation, ask Sadam or Gadafi. Why anybody would want to beat that hornets nest is beyond me.
Oh stop with the suspense. Just start shooting. Damn, people. What's the iranian navy, a bunch of reworked Russian houseboats?
It is not so much the Iranian Navy as their land based surface to sea missiles. These are on mobile platforms, with short, medium, and long range capability. Even if you got 99% of the missiles or missile platforms, that 1% would devastate the shipping and cease oil and import/export movement through the straits. 40% or more of the worlds oil supply is reliant on the straits. Iran will not shoot first because if they do, they may not get the military and financial backing from China and Russia that they will need in a protracted conflict.
Remember, the Iranians (Persians) invented chess. Never underestimate them.
ZH had a piece on their weapons a few days ago and after reading it a few times have to agree with Falcon. IMO Iran has been preparing and focusing on their missile defences (esp around Straits of Hormuz) the last 15 years or even longer. The long range missile class (2000 kms) with a 500 kg warhead that came down on its target from an acute angle at between mach 7 and 12 sounded interesting, especially if used in conjunction with the medium range missiles with 600kg warheads...
More like Chris Crafts with machine guns and rockets ducked taped to them.
70 years after the USA developed the bomb , the Iranians can't roll one out?
3 MIT drop outs could do better in a weekend inbetween video games.
Iran expecting a Naval Battle? - what is this 1870?
and the kicker - Russia and China has our backs - yeah - ask Saddam how that worked out.
"Closing the Strait is as easy as drinking a glass of water"
Yeah - and after about 10 minutes the water will be leaking out from the new holes in your throat
Let's see if US move Stennis through the Strait, then we will see who plays bluff.
A good chess player doesn't 'bluff' by moving his queen out into the middle of the board...
Bluffing is for TEXAS HOLD 'EM COWBOYS
They'll first change the name of the carrier to 'Dennis', then both sides can claim victory without a shot being fired.
Pennis is good too, gets errected in response to some stimulus and goes deflated for this or other reason.
Great (newer) Chris Hedges interview on CSPAN2
http://tiny.cc/a9q5i
It took six months at least to prepare for Gulf War I and then II. Iran has 75 million people when Iraq is about 30 million. You cannot win this without nukes and those would bring Russia/China into play. Plus radiating the most important oil region in the world would be madness anyway. Only way to win is NOT to play but I'd bet still Americans are going to PLAY.
IRAN has no Air Force. The police there ride dirt bikes and dress up in '70s hockey gear.
The Korangal Valley in Afghanistan:"After years of sustained fighting and casualties with little evident progress, the US military closed Korangal Outpost on April 14, 2010. Forty-two American service men died fighting in the Korangal and hundreds were wounded, primarily between the years of 2006 and 2009. Many Afghan soldiers died there as well. The valley has been dubbed "The Valley of Death" by American forces."
It's more than a valley of death. They are going to flood the entire western world with poppy. Only two approaches work with afghanistan.
1. LEAVE THEM ALONE.
2. LEAVE THEM THE FUCK ALONE YOU FUCKING IDIOT.
We are there for the poppy, pal.
Must control the drug business.
15 years ago a buddy of mine that worked for a VERY LARGE oil company said that there was a research program to process radioactive oil. He could have been making it up.
There was an AP blurb from the late 1990s that said the USGS deteted a nuclear explosion in a remote area of Iran-they already have nukes!!
Iraq only had about 5 million that backed Saddam though, the rest were Shias and Kurds.
How is re-confirming the status quo an escalation?
Of course, we are going to travel in international waters with our warships at-will.
Why wouldn't we?
Dumb, stupid, idiotic idea. But I guess you have to learn the hard way...
OK, we'll see how it goes. I'm thinking 1,000 : 1 that I'm right and Iran won't do jack shit. But, hey, that's just me.
You're right (for once)
Of course. And we will make the lesson as painful as possible.
I'd bet Germany was full of idiots like you back in 1939. "Oh yeah, we got Stukas, Panzers and Messerschmitt Bf 109! That 109 is some bad ass plane! We are gonna kick some ass!".
Yea...that's a great analogy. Considering it's not even remotely similar in scale, scope, or nature.
Why do you say that few miles of Iranian shore are international waters? Do you have some intl laws backing your stance?
What are you even trying to say? In what way is the US in Iranian waters?
To traverse the Strait, ships pass through the territorial waters of Iran and Oman--not international waters. You were right to question this Eally.
LOL.
Let me help you finish the sentence dickwad. To traverse the Strait, ships pass through the territorial waters of Iran and Oman under the transit passage provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.[1]
You have to give me a better link, that one is shit and does not work.
LOL, don't lol so much man, and if we talk about "dickwad" you must be the one!
Here's a good article that explains the United Nations laws as they relate to the Strait.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=804_1200376359
"There is no "international water" in the Strait of Hormuz, straddled between the territorial waters of Iran and Oman."
"Per Article 30, "If any warship does not comply with the laws and regulations of the coastal state concerning passage through the territorial sea and disregards any request for compliance therewith which is made to it, the coastal state may require it to leave the territorial sea immediately."
P.S. Boilermaker -boiled your brain did ya now?
No, he is knowledge resistant
What UN laws are broken by sailing through as per usual? Law says if a ship "...does not comply with the laws and regulations of the coastal state..."
How is the Stennis out of compliance? What law is broken?
None, that's why this is all of bunch bullshit.
It's just a bunch of America...err...Amerikkka haters trying to make a case out of literally nothing.
It is, of course, good news for Iran and bad for USA if oil prices rise. Except that I haven't figured out yet how the economic and banking sanctions work. They surely don't make it impossible for Iran to sell it's oil?
Good article on Reuters here: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/03/us-iran-usa-idUSTRE80208P20120103
Key quotes:
'Even Iran's top trading partner China -- which has refused to back new global sanctions against Iran -- is demanding discounts to buy Iranian oil as Tehran's options narrow. Beijing has cut its imports of Iranian crude by more than half for January.'
and
'Henry Wilkinson at Janusian Risk Advisory consultants said the threats might be a bid by Iran to remind countries contemplating sanctions of the cost of havoc on oil markets.
"Such threats can cause market confidence in the global oil supply to wobble and can push up oil prices and shipping insurance prices. For the EU powers debating new sanctions, this could be quite a pinch in the current economic climate."'
Let's institute a special draft where, if there is a war, 50% of the elected leaders' children will be randomly selected to go fight.
why 50%? 100% and start with the 535, pentagram, cia, et al then move on to milcons, then bill kirstol's kids. heck even krauteater should be drafted.