New Iranian Suicide Idea! - Threatening the US

[sledgemeister]

Please go back and kick their camel fetish asses back to before they was a stone age!

ht tp://www.news.com.au/world/iran-warns-us-over-aircraft-carrier/story-e6frfkyi-1226235946743

Iran warns US over aircraft carrier, 'we insist that this warship not return...and we warn only once'

    January 03, 2012 8:57PM

An Iranian Army soldier stands guard on a military speed boat during the navy exercises in the Strait of Hormuz. Picture:


Iran has tested missiles underlining threats to close the oil-transit waterway if new sanctions are imposed.

A US aircraft carrier deployed in the Middle East should "not return" to its base in the Gulf, the head of Iran's armed forces declared today, adding ominously there would be no repeat warning.

"We advise and insist that this warship not return to its former base in the Persian Gulf," Brigadier General Ataollah Salehi told reporters, according to the armed forces website.

"We don't have the intention of repeating our warning, and we warn only once," he was quoted as saying.

The warning came just one day after Iran's navy completed 10 days of manoeuvres at the entrance to the Gulf with the test-firing of three missiles designed to sink warships.

The aircraft carrier Salehi was referring to was the USS John C Stennis, one of the US navy's biggest warships.

The US vessel last week passed through the Strait of Hormuz heading east across the Gulf of Oman and through a zone where the Iranian navy was holding its manoeuvres. The US Defence Department said the passage was "routine".

The US keeps at least one aircraft carrier in or near the Gulf at all times, on rotations of weeks or months. It maintains the base of its Fifth Fleet in the Gulf state of Bahrain.

It was not immediately known if the USS John C Stennis was scheduled to return to the Gulf, or if it was to be replaced by another of the United States' 11 aircraft carriers.

The carrier left its home base in the western US state of Washington in late July last year on a seven-month deployment that included operations in the Gulf, according to US navy websites.

Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz if it is attacked or if Western sanctions cripple its oil exports. Some 20 per cent of the world's oil flows through the strait.

The US has warned it will not tolerate a closure of the strategic channel.

Adding to the tensions, Iran's Revolutionary Guards, whose maritime division handles military operations in the strait and the Gulf, are soon to hold their own manoeuvres in the area, according to armed forces chief-of-staff General Hassan Firouzabadi.

"Manoeuvres are part of the program Iran's navy and Revolutionary Guards hold each year to increase their preparation. We will soon show the massive might of the Guards' naval forces," Firouzabadi was quoted as saying by Fars news agency.

[jnevis]

BhO will apologize and Ron Paul will say "OK with me."

I'd be asking the Skipper to turn around.  Wonder if he'll have a poll posted on the ship's website?

[mauler]

If Iran stationed a warship on the North Coast of Cuba I wonder if that would be considered to be the US threatening Iran.

[billt]

They do this because they know Hussein is a pussy who won't do jack about it. A bully or a child will always do whatever they can get away with. If we were to escalate this, they would do nothing but talk, because they don't have anything but their mouths and the UN. Both are worthless.

[TAB]

The ones that will have a fit over this is the EU. 


That and I'm pretty sure if a missle leaves IRans air space in any direction, there is this small jewish country that will put a bunch more in the air.

[Sponsor]

[jnevis]

If Iran stationed a warship on the North Coast of Cuba I wonder if that would be considered to be the US threatening Iran.

Not a valid comparison but I'll play along.

Not even a similar number of warships (we usually send about 8 surface ships with a CV) would be considered a threat here.  Besides the fact that a flight of four FA-18s carry more ordnance than most of the IRGN, freedom of the seas is paramount to our Naval Doctrine.  (You can put your boat where ever you want as long as it's legal and allows others to use the same international waters.)

Cutting off the Straits and not allowing free passage between the IO and Persian Gulf is the whole reason we have a CV deployed there.  Operation Ernest Will reflagged Kuwaiti tankers in 1987 after the Iraqi and Iranian military began shooting up EVERYBODY'S tankers, not just thier own.  Once the USN/RN/Soviet Navy began protecting shipping interests in the area both sides decided to only shoot at each other not anything on the water.

[fightingquaker13]

I'll second Jnevis mauler. Ever since the birth of the Republic we've stood for freedom of the seas. Most Of the reason for the War of 1812 was that we insisted, or tried to insist, on our rights to trade with both sides during the Napoleonic Wars. Should the Iranian Navy, such as it is choose to cruise through the Straits of Florida that's their business. The Soviets did it, the Chinese have done it, and the Russians just took a trip to Venezuela. It made some right wing idiots froth at the mouth, but cooler heads were actually glad, because it was a de facto acknowledgement of our doctrine of freedom of the seas. The Straits of Formosa, the Straits of Florida, and the Straits of Hormuz. Its all the same. As long as you stay in International waters its your right to be there. Now, that doesn't mean you don't go on alert, but it is in the interest of every country, including Iran to respect that.

Lets take this one step further. Let's say Iran did close the straits and we couldn't or wouldn't stop them. Who would get hurt worse, us or them? Remember that the rocket scientists in Iran made the brilliant decision to not build gas refineries. So they export crude oil and import refined fuel (gee, that was a great idea). That's why they want nukes, to generate electricity, because all that oil is useless till it is refined. Now, while that may not pass the giggle test, its also true in that without imported fuel, they are SOL. Same with food, electronics and all the rest of it. Minus gulf oil, we'll take a big economic hit, but if we turn off the pipelines to and from turkey, and no ships get through? The Iranians will be devastated while we are merely severely inconvienced.
FQ13 who ain't skeered a bit.  

[billt]

Somewhat true FQ, but it would be far more fun to engage their "Navy". A Phalanx Gun System does wonders to an outboard powered gun boat with 5 ragheads armed with AK's.

[tombogan03884]

It's not just us that would be effected.
If Iran is allowed to close the Straits of Hormuz it sets a precedent that could be applied to places like the Suez Canal, the Panama Canal, or the Malacca Strait (which handles about 25% of the worlds shipping).
It would have the potential to screw up almost all international trade.

Bill, the gun boats are just a small part of it, the Iranians have had missile systems such as "Silkworm", and larger anti shipping missiles deployed for decades.

[Solus]

Have the ship return to base with all sailors at the rail mooning the Iranian forces.  Some planes flying CAP.   

All that will happen is we will be called Imperialist Devils....well, someone might call us insensitive to the feelings of Iranian sailors.