The Mad Mullahs and their lackeys in the Revolutionary Guard’s Navy are rattling their sabers again, followong a large scale naval exercise in the Straights of Hormuz (SoH). The strategic waterway provides the only access to the Indian Ocean, and nearly 1/3 of the world’s sea-borne oil passes through.
Fox News reports the head of the navy of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, General Alireza Tangsiri, said on Monday that Iran had full control of the Gulf and the U.S. Navy did not belong there, according to the Tasnim news agency.
“It’s a very contentious area,” retired Lt. Col. Bob Maginnis told Fox News’ “Your World with Neil Cavuto” earlier this month.
“The blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, even temporarily, could lead to substantial increases in total energy costs,” the agency said in a 2012 report.
At the beginning of August, Iran began a large-scale exercise in the Strait of Hormuz involving more than 50 small boats, practicing “swarming” operations that could potentially shut down the vital waterway if ever deployed for real. The drill came after President Trump pulled the U.S. out of a landmark nuclear accord with Iran and leaders of both countries exchanged fiery rhetoric.
“They’re causing problems once again, as predicted, in the Strait of Hormuz,” Maginnis said. “This is something we’ve grown accustomed too.”
But if Iran were to follow through with any bluster to close down the vital shipping channel, a potential U.S. response would be swift.
Gen. Joseph Votel, head of U.S. Central Command, said earlier this month that Iran was showcasing its military capabilities and has the ability to plant mines and explosive boats in the waterway, as well as use missiles and radar along the coast. He stressed the U.S. and allies routinely train for that possibility and are prepared to insure that freedom of navigation and commerce continues in those waters.
President Obama’s former National Security Adviser Jim Jones, a four-star general, said in an interview earlier this month the Iranian Navy should be “wiped out” if any action is taken to block maritime traffic.
“I personally would like to see, if they ever did something in the Strait of Hormuz, I would like to see their navy disappear,” Jones told The National.
Color me impressed- an Obama advisor with some stones. As for the Iranian regime, this bluster is a result of Trump’s disengaging from the ludicrous nuclear deal. and slapping the sanctions back on. They need a refresher in Operation Praying Mantis.
Yeah, I thought bodaprez had all his generals and admirals neutered, too. I guess not.
Maybe it’s time that someone hinted at the US’s possession of the Corbomite Device… just in case the Iranians really try to get frisky.
After all, they seem to want someone to call their bluff. And since the Corbomite Device will destroy all life forms within a 134.5 mile radius, we have to have time to notify legitimate shipping to reverse course.
Come on this guy was neutered years ago to become Obama’s lapdog. What sort of pap was he telling Obama when the Iranians seized those American sailors? Strange I didn’t hear this kind of talk during Obama’s tenure from his military lapdogs.
If anything I would assume that Iran’s boasts are intended for internal consumption.
That way, as the sanctions wreak havoc on their economy, they can placate their citizens by talking tough against the US and by attempting to direct the popular anger outwards at the US rather than at the Mullahs where it belongs.
You are most likely correct in their thinking, but the effect has worn thin. The Iranian people are demonstrating in the streets, and as I may have stated in the past, the SCoaMF no longer occupies the Oval Office.
“‘What this country needs is a short, victorious war to stem the tide of revolution.'”
V.K. Plehve, Russian Minister of the Interior to General A.N. Kuropatkin, as quoted at the head of David Weber’s “Short Victorious War.”
A few one way trips to Switzerland would be easier all the way around.
“Mullah”…good name for those greedy money grubbing leeches…thats what they want ‘MORE MULLAH” lol This current hairball better watch who he is talking to! Prez Trump won’t take his shyt and he might end up like Kadafy, ‘HOMELESS’ because of a sudden bomb drop! lol
Hmmm. Maybe we’ll see another Operation Praying Mantis or Earnest Will.
The mullahs must be looking at the situation in the South China Sea and figure they can claim their waters as their own private lake.
I really hope that PDT proves BOTH of them very, very wrong.
First step to answer the mullahs? International naval exercise in the ARABIAN Gulf.
Let’s hope Sen. Schumer can find two people to channel the spirits of Sen. Sam Nunn and Sen. Claiborne Pell. Those were some spirited debates and Sunday shows leading up to Earnest Will. Of course, even then there were factions in Mordor on the Potomac that were hoping it would turn into another Beruit for President Reagan. Sadly, there are always those waiting to rub their hands gleefully in the blood of sailors and Marines. I don’t think PDT and Saint Mattis would execute a half-A$$ed plan in the PG.
— sigh —
Here we go again. The Iranians tried to pull this same kind of shit back in 1987. They attempted to deny access to the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz by deploying Silkworm ASMs along the north (Iranian) coast of the Strait, putting mines in international waters, and running multiple small boats around in the shipping lanes.
And none of it worked out too well for them.
Here are some of the U.S. operations carried out against the Iranians in the Persian Gulf in September and October 1987 that were conducted as parts of the overarching Operation EARNEST WILL.
– 21 September 1987 – Operation EARNEST WILL/Operation PRIME CHANCE
‘Capturing the Iran Ajr’
http://www.navybook.com/no-higher-honor/timeline/capturing-the-iran-ajr/
‘The Iran Ajr, formerly known as the Arya Rakhsh, was a Japanese-built amphibious landing ship used by Iran to lay naval mines during the Iran-Iraq War. The 614-ton, 54-meter ship was the focus of one of the most dramatic moments of Operation Prime Chance, which was the secret portion of Operation Earnest Will, which was the mission to protect U.S.-flagged petroleum-carrying ships in the Persian Gulf.
On 21 September 1987, U.S. forces tracked the ship as it left Iranian waters. Army helicopters were dispatched from their secret perch aboard the Navy guided missile frigate Jarrett (FFG 33) to shadow it. When the aviators reported that people aboard the Iran Ajr were laying mines, the U.S. commander in the Persian Gulf ordered the Army pilots to “stop the mining.” The helicopters fired on the ship, killing some of the mariners and chasing others into the water. Navy SEAL commandos later boarded the ship, confirmed the presence of mines, and detained the surviving Iranians.
On 26 September, the SEALs scuttled the ship in international waters. The detainees were later transferred “in the dead of night” to an Iranian C-130 airlifter at an Omani airfield, according to a 22 July 1992 article in Newsweek.
When the USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) struck a mine the following April, Navy explosive ordnance specialists matched the serial numbers of nearby unexploded mines to the ones aboard the Iran Ajr. This evidence of Iranian involvement in the Roberts mining led to the biggest surface-warfare battle since World War II, the retribution campaign of 18 April 1988 called Operation Praying Mantis.’
– 08 October 1987 – Operation EARNEST WILL/Operation PRIME CHANCE
‘U.S. Sinks 3 Iranian Vessels’
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1987-10-09/news/8703160201_1_three-iranian-patrol-boats-iranian-vessels-helicopter
‘WASHINGTON — U.S. helicopter gunships sank three Iranian patrol boats in the Persian Gulf on Thursday after the vessels attacked an American observation helicopter on routine patrol over international waters, Pentagon officials said. Two Iranians were killed.
The incident occurred shortly after dusk, according to a Defense Department spokesman, when several Iranian vessels opened fire with machine guns and rockets at the observation helicopter as it flew 15 miles southwest of Al Farsiyah island in the north-central gulf.
The American craft called for assistance, and the helicopter gunships mounted an attack.
U.S. fire destroyed a Boghammer, a high-speed Swedish-made patrol craft used by Iran, and two small whaleboats.
It was the first time Iranian vessels instigated an attack on American forces since the Reagan administration began its buildup in the gulf this summer.
Pentagon spokesman Fred Hoffman said the Iranian attack was “clearly a hostile act.“ He added that there were no U.S. casualties, and the American helicopters involved in the exchange were not damaged.
Another spokesman said the U.S. Navy had rescued six Iranian survivors, two of whom later died. The remaining four were transferred to the USS Raleigh, where the injured among them were being treated. The Navy was continuing to search the area for additional survivors.
Hoffman said the action was purely defensive and was covered by the rules of engagement under which U.S. forces operate in the gulf.
President Reagan was told of the clash by Lt. Gen. Colin Powell, his deputy national security adviser, according to White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater.
Fitzwater said the White House had made no “preliminary judgment“ about whether it would invoke the War Powers Resolution, a 1973 law that would require Reagan to notify Congress formally that U.S. forces are deployed in an area where hostilities are “imminent.“
Besides the Boghammer, which normally has a complement of three to four men, military officials said two Iranian whaleboats armed with rockets and machine guns were sunk.
A fourth Iranian vessel, a corvette, which carries as many as 140 crew members, apparently escaped during the attack, according to one military source.
Hoffman said U.S. helicopter gunships responded to a call for help after the Iranians fired on the observation helicopter at 9:50 p.m. gulf time. The incident occurred about 15 miles southwest of Al Farsiyah, an enclave used by radical Iranian Revolutionary Guards to mount attacks on gulf shipping.
Hoffman refused to identify the type of U.S. helicopters involved in the incident, but military sources said they fired 2.5-inch rockets and 7.62 mm. machine guns, the same ammunition used by two-man Army Special Forces helicopters to disable an Iranian mine-laying ship, the Iran Ajr, last month. Hoffman said he didn`t know how many U.S. gunships were involved in the attack, but there were at least two. Military sources said the helicopters were operating off the assault ship Raleigh and the guided missile frigate USS Thach.
Thursday`s incident was the first American military action in the gulf since the Sept. 21 attack on the Iran Ajr. The Americans had found the Iranian craft laying mines in a portion of the gulf used as a staging area by U.S. military and commercial ships. Five Iranian sailors were killed in that attack and 26 others were repatriated to Tehran. The mine-laying ship was blown up and sunk.
The September incident prompted several congressmen to demand that Reagan invoke the War Powers Resolution, and Thursday`s exchange was expected to provoke more of the same.
Sen. Paul Simon (D., Ill.) said the conflict “reads like a case study for use of the war powers act. The act applies when our forces encounter hostilities or imminent hostilities. The law is there for a good reason, and it should be obeyed.“
Under the law, Congress would have 60 days after the President`s notification to approve or reject the deployment. Without specific congressional authorization, the forces would have to withdraw 30 days later. Reagan has so far refused to invoke the War Powers Resolution, contending that the situation in the gulf does not require him to do so and that the law is unconstitutional anyway.
Fitzwater said, however, that Reagan intends to honor “the spirit“ of the act by fully informing key lawmakers about the clash and its aftermath.
“It appears it was an isolated incident,“ said Fitzwater. He added that the U.S. helicopter was in international airspace when fired upon, and “we did not provoke the incident in any way.“
Hoffman said there had been numerous small Iranian vessels in the area where Thursday`s attack occurred.
Iran has vowed to retaliate for the September attack on the Iran Ajr.’
– 19 October 1987 – Operation EARNEST WILL/Operation NIMBLE ARCHER
‘Operation NIMBLE ARCHER’
http://www.navybook.com/no-higher-honor/timeline/operation-nimble-archer/
‘On 16 October 1987, Iranian troops fired a Silkworm anti-ship missile from a launcher on Iran’s northwestern coast. It streaked across open Gulf waters and struck the MV Sea Isle City, a reflagged Kuwaiti oil tanker at anchor off Kuwait. The missile exploded, blinding the tanker’s American captain. It was the first successful strike against a tanker reflagged as part of Operation Earnest Will. U.S. officials took pains to point out that the attack had happened after the tanker had been turned loose by its naval escorts, but the White House nevertheless decided to deal a retaliatory blow. Three days later, on 19 October, the U.S. Navy mounted Operation Nimble Archer.
Two oil platforms were selected as targets; both were being used by Iranian forces as command-and-control posts. Four U.S. destroyers lined up — USS Hoel (DDG-13), USS John Young (DD-973), USS Kidd (DDG-993), and USS Leftwich (DD-984) — and began to steam past one of the platforms. At 2 p.m., Gulf time, the ships began firing hundreds of naval gun shells at the platforms. The facilities stubbornly refused to crumble; their steel lattice proved almost impervious to the blasting shells. But the incendiary effect eventually set them afire.
In a subsequent press conference, President Ronald Reagan called Nimble Archer “a prudent yet restrained response.”’
Operation PRAYING MANTIS took place the following year on 18 April 1988.
As I said above, none of the Iranians’ bullshit worked out too well for them back in 1987-1988, and it’s a foregone conclusion that they won’t like the consequences of their ill-advised actions now in 2018, either.
Great back-story, Mick. Thanks.
^word^
I knew shit like this would happen when we failed to take control of the Baghdad Airport from Saddam and his Republican guard.
I see what you did there. That’s funny!
Does Iran actually have a Navy? Or is it mostly rubber rafts and whaleboats plus a small diesel tug here and there?
Oh yeah. They have a Navy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_ships_of_the_Islamic_Republic_of_Iran_Navy
Not saying it all works, but they have one.
Sink all that crap they call a Navy and you will have a bridge across the straits lol
The only ones that keep me awake at night are their Kilo Diesel Electric submarines. I have an idea of their level of proficiency with the boats, but sonar conditions in the Gulf generally suck, and they only need to be lucky once. Take these out first.
I know that the Iranian Navy was getting some kind of instruction through our Service Schools Command at Great Lakes when I was there in 1972, but that was before the Shah was dethroned.
Those sailors were all enlisted, not officers, so I’d say their loyalty was to their paychecks more than anything else.
Even so, you wonder how much they took back to Iran that might have produced the nuisance that they are today.
Here we go again. I do believe the distributors of the ME Oil keep stirring this crap up to jack the oil price up. Again. I guess with their brand new home grown/built jet fighter/bomber/target/baby seal they can defend the straits and drive off the Crusading Infidels that are causing the peace loving people of Iran to starve. Excuse me Ladies of TAH, FUCK THEM. How many more decades of time, American Treasure, and blood are we going to deposit there? We are NOT going to win their hearts and minds, we are NOT going to change their way of thinking, and we are NOT going to win by half assing around. Cut off the head and the snake will die. just saying
You might not be far from the truth there 5th/77thFA, we have tapped American Oil Reserves to the point where we can tell them to take a flying camel fuck in the sand and they’re powerless to fuck with our oil supply in return.
You damn Skippy API and we should already have told them that. Sad part of the whole oil thing is, we’ve always had enough for our own needs, even going back to the Yom Kipper War of ’73 and the whole Arab Oil Embargo. We had enough for us then, but Europe (Germany) and Japan were almost totally dependent on ME supplies. Lots of folks will never know how close WWIII almost broke out then. For whatever reason the gubmint decided it was our responsibility to make sure it kept flowing with our military might. Wrong decision? Who knows. If the Soviet Union had of wanted to they could have gone thru the ETO in about 3 weeks then and the only way we could have stopped them was by going nuclear. Now when we are openly producing enough for not only our own use, but also export, we are still mired in 45 year old diplomacy, that still ain’t working. How many of the folks here have served multiple deployments in that shit hole region of the world? War on terror, my ass. It’s still about the oil and who’s the baddest on the block. Eisenhower told us to beware of the military/industrial complex and now we are knee deep into fighting against domestic and foreign enemies. They are using the whole terror thing and the threat of shutting off the oil cause they know we don’t need it. Again, Fuck ’em, fuck ’em all. Bring ALL of our girls & boys home, all of our technology, everything back to this side of the big pond, take our canal back, we bought and paid for it, kick those pissant dictators the hell out of South America and keep Minoit on high alert. Thank God we are trying to put adults in charge and take our country back. Rant over for awhile. I welcome opposing views and comments.
You damned skippy, let’s not forget that it was us Americans who discovered that oil over there and if it wasn’t for us they’d still be third world piss-poor shitholes.
^Bingo^ And we pretty much figured out a whole lotta different ways to use that nasty crap in ways that really made the world into what it is, thru innovation, technology, and what they used to call “Good Old American Know How.”
Agree with you API, the only part of your description that doesn’t already fit is poor… they are still third world piss shitholes, no matter how much money they have. As my father says (Vietnam vet who said his engineer company over there had a solution to the war.. pave the whole damn country, and make it a parking lot for WWIII) “we have drill bits that will go through glass”… fuck the whole ME, glass it in it’s entirety (outside of Israel), the re-drill the oil wells….
Time to schedule SINKEX SALAMIS 2018
Invite the Greek Navy as our guest, just to rub in some extra sand.
Well that is one way to commit Seppuku.
Those numbnuts couldn’t control a Waffle House parking lot.