Posted on 03/24/2007 5:18:35 AM PDT by maquiladora
DEBKAfile reports: High alert at US and UK bases, Middle East armies on the ready lest Iran’s seizure of 15 British seamen Friday is only first Iranian reprisal action
March 24, 2007, 1:08 PM (GMT+02:00)
Our military sources report that Middle East and Persian Gulf nations as well as the US and UK are bracing for further Iranian marine, air or terrorist operations in Iraq and other places in reprisal for the sanctions measure before the UN Security Council in New York. On the ready too are the Saudi armed forces and some Israeli air and naval units.
According to Iranian sources the 15 British Royal navy seamen and marines which an Iranian warship seized with their commando craft Friday, March 23, have been taken to Tehran to explain their “aggressive action.”
London insists the UK marines routinely inspecting merchant vessels for smuggled goods were on the Iraqi side of the divided Shat al Arb waterway which flows into the Persian Gulf. Tehran accuses them of entering Iranian waters.
DEBKAfile’s military sources say the incident was but a pretext. According to incoming intelligence, Tehran plans to release a series of reprisals after sanctions are approved in New York Saturday evening, March 24.
The Islamic Republic is also cautioning its Gulf neighbors Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, whose foreign ministers meet visiting US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice in Assuan Saturday morning, not to cooperate with Washington’s regional policies and to stay neutral in the US-Iran dispute.
President Mahmoud Admadinejad’s last-minute cancellation of his appearance before the Security Council is further indication that Tehran gave up on diplomatic maneuvers for pre-empting the sanctions resolution and, assuming their approval was not preventable, turned instead to ramping up military tensions.
Thursday, DEBKAfile reported exclusively a rendezvous Wednesday between the French nuclear carrier Charles de Gaulle and its task force with the USS John C. Stennis in the Arabian Sea Wednesday for joint missions in the global war on terror.
The next day, Iran launched a new naval war game in the Persian Gulf. Just before the British sailors were seized, UK commanders in Basra accused Iran of being behind 90% of the violence in S. Iraq and paying out $250 to anyone willing to attack British troops.
Amid rising tensions in the strategic Gulf waters, DEBKAfile’s military sources disclose the American-French rendezvous was timed to coincide with the UN Security Council session Wednesday to debate expanded sanctions against Iran for continuing its banned uranium enrichment program.
The Iranians were bowled over by the appearance of the Charles de Gaulle opposite their southern coast, having assumed that Paris took issue with Washington’s tough stand on their nuclear activities and was seeking improved relations with Tehran.
However, Western military circles explain that the French president Jacques Chirac decided before he leaves office in May to repair the bad impression he left in early February when he urged the world - and Israel in particular - to learn to live with “an Iranian nuclear bomb or two.”
Rafale fighter-bombers on the French carrier’s decks will fly missions over Afghanistan alongside US warplanes.
Its arrival raises to four the number of Western aircraft carriers cruising within striking distance of Iran, including the USS Eisenhower and USS Boxer.
The Charles de Gaulle is accompanied by French Task Force 473, which consists of five warships: the FNS Cassard guided missile destroyer, the FNS Tourville anti-submarine frigate, the FNS Dupleix destroyer adapted for escorting oil tankers and the FNS Marne, a command and supply vessel. Captain of the French task force is Rear Adm. Xavier Magne. Commander of the American flotilla is Rear Adm. Kevin Quinn
Sky News just reported that according to Iranian official, the sailors have admitted to entering Iranian waters...
Did they put panties on their heads to make them confess?
cowards
That's no surprise. The last time this happened, they were forced to admit the same line for the cameras.
L
Exterminate persia!
LLS
sure they did .......NOT
Please attack one of our air craft carriers. Try just try to board one of them , please. Make my day!
This should be enough. I've been a big supporter of the war, but if we're not going to play real, maybe we should just get the hell out of there.
Euro keep the updates coming...
Ala 2004?
Keep us updated!
The USS Boxer (LHD-4) is an amphibious assault ship, not an aircraft carrier.
There was indeed a USS Boxer aircraft carrier (CV-21), but it's long since been decommisioned and scrapped.
I will try to.
However, at the moment I am watching the cross country skiing world cup.
Sodergren from Sweden is in the lead :-)
Cheers.
??? According to Iranian newspapers much is this report appears accurate to me at the present time...?
It doesn't seem that is it taken all that seriously. Englands upcoming fight with Israel on the soccer pitch, the untimely death of the Pakistan cricket coach and Jordan's sex life seems to be more important.(sigh)
I would have liked to hear John Terry's words out of the mouth of Tony Blair when it comes to Iran
Cheers
..."US and UK are bracing for further Iranian marine, air or terrorist operations in Iraq and other places"...
The UN Sanctions are flatulance in the wind. Whatever?!?!
Let them win ,sure. What are you going to do when they come here? Hide under the bed.Keep running they will follow!
One thing the Persians know how to do is to take hostages. They have a long history of it. Time to take down the next axis of evil.
Persia delenda est.
Debka is more reliable than the New York Times.
Do you think that is a wise course of action? To let the Allied troops be victimized by Iran and do nothing?
If we're not going to address it, we should go.
Did they really have to use the term, "snatched" on that on that particular front page?
Excuse me but, um, who's this Jordan?
Perhaps it would have been more appropriate on page 3...
I'm not sure Debka is any brighter that the LSM, which calls any ship with a flat deck an aircraft carrier, any ship with weapons on it a battleship and any military vehicle with treads a tank.
April 6th to April 9th? My money's on the 9th ............. FRegards
Your technically correct. But boxer has a compliment of 6 Harrier attack-aircraft and a whole mess of helos. Nowhere near the air "punch" of a CV but pretty formidable in its own right.
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