US Flexes Muscles against Iran in Gulf
US Flexes Muscles against Iran in Gulf – Defense/Security – News – Israel National News.
Iran will find its boats “on the bottom of the Gulf” if it tries to mine the Persian Gulf to prevent oil and gas tankers from sailing.
The United States has deployed ships and aircraft in the Persian Gulf region in a clear warning to Iran that “the military option is on the table” if Tehran tried to block the strategic waterway uses by oil and gas tankers, The New York Times reported Tuesday.
“Don’t even think about closing the strait. We’ll clear the mines,” a defense department official told the newspaper. “Don’t even think about sending your fast boats out to harass our vessels or commercial shipping. We’ll put them on the bottom of the gulf.”
Another administration official was quoted as saying, “When the president says there are other options on the table beyond negotiations, he means it.”
The deployment of more American warplanes in the Persian Gulf would give the United States a greater ability to strike deep within Iran in the event of a decision by President Barack Obama to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The other side of the coin is the possibility that the American military force could cause Iran’s military generals to pull the trigger finger and try to block oil tankers from Saudi Arabia and elsewhere. a move that would cause the price of crude oil – and gasoline at the pump – to spiral upwards less than five months before the U.S. presidential elections.
In addition, the United States has deployed more warplanes have been deployed at two regional bases.
The Obama administration continues to stiffen sanctions in Iran, but Israel reiterated this week they are too little and too late.
Iran continues to try to try to show it is strong enough to defend itself and also to launch attacks on U.S. bases and on Israel. It announced Tuesdays that it successfully fired “tens” of missiles that can strike Israel and regional bases, but the claims were made by the Fars News Agency, linked with the Revolutionary Guards and often a source of unsubstantiated claims.
Iran also has threatened to pass a law that would block oil tankers on their way to countries that have joined the American embargo, but there is no indication of how it could enforce such a law.
One major factor working against Iran is that virtually all of the Gulf States are aligned with the United States and have a common interest with Israel to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear ability and advancing its dream of establishing an Islamic empire in the Middle East.
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WarSclerotic 
July 3, 2012 at 4:38 PM
I wonder just how far Iran has to be pushed to get a response? They seem to have a higher tolerance than expected. Is it strategy or simply cowardice?
July 3, 2012 at 5:20 PM
Iran will n e v e r start an open conflict. It won’t happen. Last time they initiate such a campaign they were eventually crushed by the Alexander The Great phalanxes. They learned their lesson.
However, is a pity that they didn’t invest more in their persian carpets industry and preferred the atom. Bad investors, those iranians.
July 3, 2012 at 5:32 PM
Luis…
Though you may be right, you should know better. NEVER say “never”…
July 3, 2012 at 5:41 PM
Hehe, i loved that.
July 3, 2012 at 5:55 PM
We are already seeing reports that the new sanctions are having no effect on Iran…and it’s been only two days! I, for one, believe the only sanctions that will work is a complete naval blockade. That will certainly get them screaming.
July 3, 2012 at 6:03 PM
Steve…
A blockade is not a sanction. It is an act of war.
If the US is willing to blockade, they will be willing to fight.
July 3, 2012 at 6:50 PM
I stand corrected…it’s sad to think how many times Iran committed an act of war against the U.S. starting with the invasion of our embassy and holding our diplomats hostage for 544 days (don’t forget the two Marine guards they murdered). We should have hammered them then and not allowed them to survive and kill more U.S. troops in later years. Payback is going to be a bitch and I say that because I get the impression from folks in the U.S. military that they are anxious to settle the score with these murderous cowards.
July 3, 2012 at 7:10 PM
Steve….
Don’t forget Lebanon. Our Marines were butchered by Hezbollah agents, trained and ordered by Iran.
Thank God there aren’t more “peace loving” regimes like Iran’s.