Posted on 12/29/2011 9:16:44 AM PST by bananaman22
The pieces and policies for potential conflict in the Persian Gulf are seemingly drawing inexorably together.
Since 24 December the Iranian Navy has been holding its ten-day Velayat 90 naval exercises, covering an area in the Arabian Sea stretching from east of the Strait of Hormuz entrance to the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Aden. The day the maneuvers opened Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari told a press conference that the exercises were intended to show "Iran's military prowess and defense capabilities in international waters, convey a message of peace and friendship to regional countries, and test the newest military equipment." The exercise is Iran's first naval training drill since May 2010, when the country held its Velayat 89 naval maneuvers in the same area. Velayat 90 is the largest naval exercise the country has ever held.
The participating Iranian forces have been divided into two groups, blue and orange, with the blue group representing Iranian forces and orange the enemy. Velayat 90 is involving the full panoply of Iranian naval force, with destroyers, missile boats, logistical support ships, hovercraft, aircraft, drones and advanced coastal missiles and torpedoes all being deployed. Tactics include mine-laying exercises and preparations for chemical attack. Iranian naval commandos, marines and divers are also participating.
The exercises have put Iranian warships in close proximity to vessels of the United States Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, which patrols some of the same waters, including the Strait of Hormuz, a 21 mile-wide waterway at its narrowest point. Roughly 40 percent of the world's oil tanker shipments transit the strait daily, carrying 15.5 million barrels of Saudi, Iraqi, Iranian, Kuwaiti, Bahraini, Qatari and United Arab Emirates crude oil, leading the United States Energy Information Administration to label the Strait of Hormuz "the world's most important oil chokepoint."
In light of Iran’s recent capture Full article at: War Imminent in Straits of Hormuz? $200 a Barrel Oil?
Authorize the pipeline NOW!
Secondly, he's actually had the experience of flying military planes in and out of Iran. He understands the place.
I like these ‘exercises’.
Seems to me that having them demonstrate their weapons abilities and their battle plans out in plain sight is a good thing for us.
Just read on Breitbart that oil dropped to under $100 a barrel due to supplies growing unexpectedly. Fears of a war?
Where is King zero on this?
The Iran-Iraq war of the 1980’s didn’t close the gulf and this will not either.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Earnest_Will
Just what Obama wanted. An excuse for ultra high oil prices. He WANTS this to happen. And yet, the 99% will continue to pay higher and higher pump prices. Zero must be looking at a huge amount of cash coming his way. His and George Soros. Let’s not forget the puppet master. It is time for Keystone to be built. In fact, it’s way past time. November is coming. Let’s jettison that drek from the Oval Office then.
The “expectation” is that oil will shoot up. The only way that will happen is if Iran shots their missiles across the gulf into SA. If that happens getting oil will be the least of our problems.
I am sure he will use a ton of exclamation points. That will scare them!!!!!!!
I’m with you!
WOOHOO!!! Ever thread can be a Perry campaign thread!!!! Which will also lead to turning it into an illigal immigration thread! Two topics with one highjack! Now to figure out a way to get the BIRTHER/Natural-born Citizen people involved!
Oh, I know! Propose Rubio as Perry’s VP! That’ll do it!
I had to laugh when I watched BBC-TV showing Iranian boats (Boston whaler’s with guns)then their ancient jet fighters and then the US aircraft carrier thinking, yeah, right. I’m thinking those Navy pilots saying “Oh Pleeeze, Pleeze” !!!
No, no, no, this is a smoke screen story.
Babbling.
Oil much higher than $100 just hurts the person in the WH.
Saudis a couple years from pipelines that will circumvent the strait.
U.S. Navy can open it up.
The U.S. media is feeding everyone manure to distract everyone from the worldwide sovereign debt bubble, caused by corrupt politicians and enabled by corrupt big capital.
Iran has elections coming up. “Imanutjob” is just blustering about closing the Straights of Hormuz to show the Iranian voting public that he’s not afraid of Obama.
He knows that if he were to try doing this, even with the Silkworm missiles at the coast, all 9 of their refineries would be knocked out, their pipelines and power stations bombed, and their navy would be on the bottom, all within a day. A couple of weeks of mine sweeping would reopen the straight.
Iran supplies less than 20% of the world’s oil. I’m sure that other suppliers would be happy to make up the difference. Especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE. They’re REALLY afraid of Iran.
Mark
How does this affect the USCGC vessels currently “training” the Iraqis and providing port security at and around Bahrain?
USCG PATFOR SWA is operating in those waters. Are the island-class patrol boats equipped for defensive engagements with hostile naval forces?
Does everyone love us yet?
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