Posted on 11/11/2006 11:02:22 AM PST by freedom44
Top News Story
Persian Journal
The editor of Kayhan Newspaper, Hussein Shariatmadari, hasrecently said: "if Iran is put under the UN sanctions, the 5+1 states [i.e. the USA, the UK, France, China, Russia and Germany] would be the biggest losers from economic and political points of view." He has added: "closing the Strait of Hurmoz can be one of the retaliatory reactions [of Iran]... . if we are made subject to the sanctions, then naturally we can use some leverages, such as closing the Strait of Hormuz. Closing the Strait of Hormuz will seriously stop the flow of oil to the industrial states and they will face intolerable conditions. Of course, there are numerous other leverages that will be discussed later." (1)
The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow sea passage that connects the Persian Gulf to the Oman Sea. This is the only sea-passage for the export of oil from the Persian Gulf states. The Iranian forces have done several maneuvers aimed at closing the Strait of Hormuz at the time of crisis and the Western forces in the region (in cooperation with the some of the littoral countries or independently) have conducted several maneuvers aimed at deterring such plans.
The threat to close the Strait of Hormuz (2) has been mentioned time and again by many other figures in Iran (3). The officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran have threatened that if the United Nations Organization adopts serious sanctions against the regime of Iran (due to the nuclear case of Iran which is currently in the Security Council of the UNO), they may resort to the "oil weapon".
It should be noted that any action by Iran to stop the oil flow from the Persian Gulf countries, by blocking the strait Hurmoz, attacking the shipping lines, trying to blow up the pipelines or the production and refinery facilities of the other countries in the region (such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan in the Caspian Sea, or Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain in the Persian Gulf), will be considered as a serious violation of the international laws and regulations for the concerned states. It would be in practice like giving a declaration of war to them. At the same time, it would be a serious challenge to the interests of the major oil importing states, especially the USA, that according to the Carter Doctrine considers the Persian Gulf as an area of vital interests. The US government feels obliged to stop any serious challenge to its vital interest, by all means, including the military actions.
A Daily Briefing of Major News Stories on Iran:
Japan and Europe would not be pleased. Does Iran really want some seriously annoyed Japanese headed their way?
U.S. naval armada set to sail into Gulf to 'intimidate' Iran
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Friday, November 10, 2006
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy has gathered aircraft carriers and troop transports for entry in the central Gulf. Included, officials said, were at least 10 warships that would arrive in the region over the next few days.
"The reason is to intimidate the Iranians," an official said. "There are two crises: Iraq. The second is Iranian efforts to recruit Iraq and Gulf Arab states in an alliance."
The Bush administration was described as alarmed by the Gulf states' interest in an alliance with Iran. Officials said Iran pledged to end the incitement of the large Shi'ite communities in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states if the alliance was concluded.
Officials said Iran may have been behind the destruction of a Kuwait refinery over the weekend, Middle East Newsline reported. They said the reports that the refinery was demolished by an "accident" was incorrect.
"There are assets being gathered in the Indian Ocean off the coast of India and Pakistan as well as assets moving toward the Gulf from the Red Sea," an official said.
Officials said the navy was ordered to begin the redeployment in the Gulf in Oct. 1. They said the first assets to sail toward the region were cruisers and minesweepers.
The navy maneuvers were said to have been initiated and ordered by the White House. A source close to the administration said Vice President Richard Cheney has warned against the massive maneuvers.
Officials said Pentagon analysts warned of Iranian retaliation. The analysts stressed that the U.S. military lacks sufficient high-value, particularly nuclear, targets in Iran.
On Nov. 5, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Gen. Yahya Safavi ruled out a U.S. strike against Iran. Safavi told Iran's Arabic-language Al Alam television that the U.S. military deployment was already under strain throughout the region.
"Under the current circumstances, Americans are involved in Afghanistan and the quagmire of Iraq so we do not anticipate any military attack from America,'' Safavi said. "But Iran has its own defense and deterrent power and it is very unlikely that America will cause us any problems.''
That's the kind of thing which sparks a world war.
Well, that wouldn't bother the Mooslims much, they thrive on chaos, maiming, murder and death in general. But the Libs love 'em, they think they're "neat".
I think we need to test some missiles on the black box.
Iran knows it's strengths and weaknesses well. They have designs on a Caliphate - they want to unite the entire peninsula and north africa into an Islamic security group of likeminded nations and cooperative economy.
That's right. It's Europe and pacific rim Aisian countries that will be greatly P.O.ed, as that's where most of that oil goes anyways.
Let them close it down, it's just the excuse needed to level Tehran. Not that the Demonrats would have the guts.
What a fool and those who wanted to over-deploy in Iraq. The military knows it must hold enough in reserve to fight just such a threat as this.
I'm so glad we are not and will not use our oil so we can remain under blackmail by terrorists.
Makes perfect sense to me.
Lots of people want lots of things. Unfortunately for the Iranian Caliph of oil and sand, nobody is particuarly interested in letting Iran be involved in Iraq, Saudi, Egypt, Turkey, Libya, or anyplace else including Afghanistan. The Strait will be re-opened and Bush or Pelosi or Hillary! or whoever is Pres then will do it.
The Ds have quite a history when it comes to war. If it is their watch they will open the Strait by whatever means will do it RIGHT NOW.
Excellent point.
However if Bush had sent two or three times the troops like they now complain then they would have complained that that was wrong for not keeping a reserve.
It doesn't matter what he does it is wrong.
If he succeeds he is a bully and a loser and incompetent. If he does what they want and loses he is a loser and incompetent.
But now watch the anti American media support all the losing proposals the rats come up with. Even when they lose it will be fine because they are in power.
I hope Bush blockades Iran sooner rather than later ...before the RATS take over both Houses of Congress in January '07
Iraq will run out of the cash to fund the terrorists in Syria, Iraq, and every where else real fast if we: "..seize their oil platforms, destroy their shipping, and impose an absolute blockade on Iranian shipping in the Gulf -- while eliminating their ability to damage anybody else's shipping ..."
An excerpt of some advice - given by a Democrat, no less - that fell on deaf ears before last week's election: [snip] Click HERE to read it.
The following is a list of Grand Ayatollahs and the most senior ranking Ayatollahs in or directly related to Qom.
- Grand Ayatollah Noori-Hamedani
- Grand Ayatollah Mousavi Ardebili
- Grand Ayatollah Gharvi-Aliari
- Grand Ayatollah Saafi Golpayegani
- Grand Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani
- Grand Ayatollah Seyd Mohammad Shahroudi
- Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi
- Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
- Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Wahid Khorasani
- Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Taqi Behjat
- Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Kadhim Haeri
- Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Muhammad Vahidi
- Grand Ayatollah Sheikh hasan-zadeh Amoli
- Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri
- Grand Ayatollah Sanei
- Grand Ayatollah Haj Sayyed Musa Shebiri Zanjani
- Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Muhammad Reza Golpayegani
- Ayatollah Tabrizi
- Ayatollah Sheikh Jawadi Amoli
- Ayatollah Abolfadhl Khansari
- Ayatollah Haj Sayyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
- Ayatollah Sayyed Hasan Taheri Khurram-Abadi
- Ayatollah Sheikh Jafar Sobhani
- Ayatollah Sheikh Muhammad Imami Kashani
- Ayatullah Haj Sheikh Ali Panah Ishtihardi
- Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi
- Ayatullah Sheikh Haadi Ma`rifat
- Ayatollah Sayyed Muhammad Alavi Gorgani
- Ayatollah sheikh Muhammad Reza Mahdavi Kani
- Ayatollah Sayyed Hassan Abtahi
- Ayatollah Mohsen Qara'ati
- Ayatollah Sheikh Abu Taleb Tajleel
- Ayatollah Sheikh Husein Mazaheri
- Ayatollah Haj Sheikh Ismail Salehi Mazandarani
- Ayatollah Haj Sayyed Mehdi Rouhani
- Ayatollah Haj Sheikh Ali Kashani
- Ayatollah Haj Sayyed Mohsen Kharrazi
- Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Mohaqqeq Damad
- Ayatollah Sheikh Muhammad Ali Gerami
Picking a fight with the U.S. in the Strait would be picking the wrong fight. Iran's forces would be decimated in short order, and their humiliation would stand for all the world to see. I'd look for major acts of terrorism instead of closing of the strait.
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It is good we sent ships there. We can't let them think we are weak, or Bush is weak now. Dems better at least TRY to act like adults... Bush should remind them that there very well may be a Dem in the WH in '08, and he/she would be blamed for whatever problems exist.
If Iran does that, time to dust off the B-2's, the FAE and daisy cutter bombs, the bunker busters, and perhaps the tactical nukes,
The world triple dares you, Iran.
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