The Messages Iran Is Sending Via Puddle Pirate Are…
The Iranian navy of the future (pictured)…
This from DEBKAfile today:
DEBKAfile’s military and Iranian sources stress that the near-shooting incident Sunday, Jan. 6, in which 5 IRGC speedboats made threatening passes against three US Navy vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, was timed precisely by Tehran for the eve of President George W. Bush’s Middle East tour.
1. It was an “in your face” gesture by the IRGC to show the US president they were not scared by being declared a global terrorist organization, a step Bush took last year.
The elite Iranian corps was also intent on proving that Iran was the boss of the Strait of Hormuz, the crude oil outlet for Persian Gulf producers – not the US Navy.
2. A reminder that Iran is able to block the strait at will and throw the world’s oil traffic in disarray.
3. It is important for the Islamic Republic to show its neighbors on the US president’s itinerary that Iran is the region’s leading power, not the US, and that no deals or issues can be finalized without Tehran’s say-so.
4. The Iranian speedboats were also a warning to the nations hosting Bush not to risk signing any military pacts that may be directed against Iran.
5. Tehran has been all ears to pick up every nuance from the White House ahead of the Bush tour. In an interview aired by Israeli television Sunday, Bush said that Iran “was a threat and is a threat” and the US has never given up its military option.
Israeli officials have also leaked a plan to show the visiting president intelligence data to refute the US National Intelligence Estimate’s claim that Iran gave up its nuclear arms program in 2003.
Over the weekend, supreme ruler Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s senior adviser Ali Larijani went from Cairo to Damascus to discuss the Lebanese crisis. This was meant as a signal to Washington that the problem was susceptible to diplomatic engagement. But when the Iranians heard the Bush interview, they decided to show muscle instead and launched the naval incident in the Strait of Hormuz.
6. While possibly a coincidence, the naval provocation occurred at the same time as al Qaeda’s American spokesman called on the region’s Muslim to greet the visiting US president with bombs. The two events have combined to add fuel to the climate in the region preparing to welcome President Bush.
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That’s a good assesment of their intent. You can change the equasion easily by opening fire next time, instead of trying to play diplomat. Attempt to disable and capture one of their boats…or meet them with an equal force of Marines or Seals in Fast Boats…see if they want to play…and then crush them if they do.
Otherwise this sort of tit-for-tat will go on until some unlucky US commander decides that it is all a game and ends up the victim of a suicide attack.
Let’s not be fooking around anymore. The only cure for a phychopath is jail. the nut house or death. Choose a cure.
January 7th, 2008 at 1:49 pmYa know Dan, I seem to be saying this a bunch, you’re right. To be honest we should have drowned the bunch and told the “power in the region” to go fuck themselvs.
Yea, I know that oil will become more expensive. So what?
January 7th, 2008 at 2:07 pmWhat kind of weapons do the IRGC fast boats have? Any torpedos or just peashooters?
January 7th, 2008 at 2:50 pmI agree with Dan. If we don’t address this head on and with resolve our sailors will pay the price later. And heaven help the luckless captain who’s ship is the chosen one. His career will pay for the politician’s cowardace.
January 7th, 2008 at 4:04 pmWho needs torpedoes and peashooters when you have suicide boats? The Tamil Tigers have been using suicide boats for years and I wouldn’t put it past the paradise seekers to use those tactics. Then again, they have Chinese Silkworm missiles on their coast at the straits, so they wouldn’t need to waste the manpower..
January 7th, 2008 at 10:37 pm