Filed under: Abkhazia, Ahmadinejad, airstrikes, Coup, False Flag, federal crime, Genocide, georgia, human rights, Iran, Israel, Military, military strike, missile defense, moscow, NATO, Nuke, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Russia, Shock and Awe, South Ossetia, staged provocation, Tehran, War Crimes, War On Terror, WW3, ww4 | Tags: Dmitry Rogozin, nuclear war, nuclear warfare, warship, warships
‘U.S. may use Georgian air bases to strike at Iran’
Israel Was to Attack Iran from Georgia: Report
http://www.almanar.com.lb/N..etails.aspx?id=54573&language=en
Russian units raid Georgian airfields for use in Israeli strike against Iran – report
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5559
Russia to equip Iran with ‘game changer’?
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=70160§ionid=351020104
US-Russian deal lets Iran’s nuclear bomb program off the hook
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5616
Filed under: airstrikes, belgium, blockade, Britain, bulgaria, ceasefire, Condoleezza Rice, Dmitry Medvedev, Europe, european union, False Flag, federal crime, foreign aid, Genocide, georgia, Germany, Globalism, Iran, Iraq, Medvedev, Mikheil Saakashvili, Military, military strike, moscow, nation building, NATO, navy, neocons, Nuke, occupation, Oil, Pentagon, poland, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, red cross, romania, Russia, Shock and Awe, South Ossetia, spain, staged provocation, Tehran, Troops, United Kingdom, War Crimes, war funding, war games, War On Terror, war spending, war training, WW3, ww4 | Tags: Dmitry Rogozin, Gerhard Schroeder, jaap de hood scheffer, nuclear war, nuclear warfare, port of Batumi, russian peacekeepers, soldiers, u.s. soldiers, USS McFaul, USS Taylor, warship
US warship anchors at Georgian port
Press TV
August 24, 2008
The guided missile destroyer USS McFaul has anchored at the Georgian port of Batumi, escalating tensions in the conflict-stricken region.
The US says the destroyer, which arrived at the Black Sea port on Sunday, contains humanitarian aid including baby food, diapers, bottled water and milk, AP reported.
This is while the USS McFaul is outfitted with an array of weaponry, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, which can carry both conventional or nuclear warheads, and a sophisticated radar system.
The US Embassy said the destroyer was the first of five American ships scheduled to arrive this week.
Earlier, Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy chief of Russia’s general staff said that the arrival of the ship and those of other NATO members would escalate tensions, adding that NATO is setting up a naval force in the Black Sea under the ’cover’ of aid deliveries to Georgia.
“Under the cover of needing to deliver humanitarian goods, NATO countries continue to boost their naval grouping,” Nogovitsyn told a news conference in Moscow on Saturday.
The US Navy does not say if the ships are carrying nuclear weapons for security reasons.
Georgian military forces attacked South Ossetia to retake control of the independence-seeking province on August 8. In response, Russia moved its forces to the region where most of the population holds Russian citizenship.
The conflict ended after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a French-brokered ceasefire deal last week.
At least 2,000 people in South Osettia and about 150 in Georgia were killed in the conflict. Also, about 40,000 people were displaced in areas around the conflict zone, according to International Committee of the Red Cross.
NATO Ships Enter The Black Sea
IHT
August 22, 2008
NATO warships entered the Black Sea on Thursday for what the alliance said were long-planned exercises and routine visits to ports in Romania and Bulgaria.
The move is not linked to the tensions over Russia’s invasion of Georgia, which lies on the eastern shore of the Black Sea, about 900 kilometers (550 miles) from the Romanian coast, said officials at NATO’s military command in southern Belgium.
Three warships — from Spain, Germany and Poland — sailed into the Black Sea on Thursday. They are due to be joined by a U.S. frigate, the USS Taylor, later this week.
They are “conducting a pre-planned routine visit to the Black Sea region to interact and exercise with our NATO partners Romania and Bulgaria, which is an important feature of our routine planning,” said Vice-Adm. Pim Bedet, deputy commander at allied maritime headquarters in Northwood, England.
However, the move risks increasing tensions with Russia which has deployed ships from its Black Sea fleet to the Georgian coast.
The NATO flotilla includes Spain’s SPS Adm. Juan de Bourbon, Germany’s FGS Luebeck and the Polish ship ORP General K Pulaski. Romanian and Bulgarian ships will join them for exercises during a three-week deployment which NATO says has been planned for over a year.
The Russian ambassador to NATO played down the impact of the emergency meeting of the Western alliance.
“The mountain gave birth to a mouse,” said Dmitry Rogozin.
Although the allies said they would not convene any more meetings of the NATO-Russia Council until Russian troops withdraw from Georgia, they bowed to concerns from Europe — which depends heavily on Russia for energy — and stopped short of adopting specific long-term steps to punish Moscow for its actions.
“There can be no business as usual with Russia under present circumstances,” said Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the alliance’s secretary-general, after NATO foreign ministers met here.
“We are not abandoning the NATO-Russia Council, but as long as Russian forces are occupying large parts of Georgia, I cannot see the NATO-Russia Council meeting,” he told reporters.
Russia, which has accused the United States of wanting to dismantle the council, asked for a meeting last week but has been rebuffed thus far.
De Hoop Scheffer said “the future will depend on concrete actions from the Russian side,” but he was forced to add that “no specific decisions on programs or projects (with Russia) have been taken.”
The Russians have agreed to a cease-fire deal that requires a troop pullback, but at the Pentagon on Tuesday evening officials said the latest assessment by U.S. intelligence was that the Russians had shown no sign of beginning a substantial withdrawal. Two officials, discussing the intelligence assessment on condition of anonymity, said separately that Russian forces were holding their positions.
In a small victory for the United States, NATO foreign ministers did agree to show support for Georgia’s pro-Western government by creating a NATO-Georgia Commission to oversee the former Soviet republic’s bid to join the alliance and begin providing military training to its army.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=67384§ionid=351020602
Russia Warns of Corpse Provocation
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/1010/42/370269.htm
Russian security source says Georgia planned attack year ahead
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080823/116236332.html
Iraq invites Russian oil company back
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D92M5K900.htm
Georgia set for military action – Russian General Staff
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080822/116215518.html
Russia to keep 500 troops in Georgia buffer zone
http://wiredispatch.com/news/?id=308583
US: Russia must return any US equipment
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5g..mQ9wB4_FnH5KXkA
Russia Seizes U.S. Vehicles
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/23/georgia.russia
Germany’s Schroeder says Georgia sparked fighting
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LG340681.htm
The History of the Georgia, Russia Conflict
http://www.unobserver.com/inde..ayout5.php&id=5057&blz=1
Medvedev Vies With Putin in Word War
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/600/42/369927.htm
Moscow: U.S. missile shield may spark arms race
http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/29298
Filed under: Afghanistan, Ahmadinejad, airstrikes, arms sales, ceasefire, Coup, Dmitry Medvedev, False Flag, Hugo Chavez, Iran, Media, Medvedev, Mikheil Saakashvili, Military, military strike, missile defense, NATO, navy, Nuke, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Russia, Sarkozy, Sergey Lavrov, Shock and Awe, Syria, Tehran, Venezuela, War On Terror, war spending, weapons trade, WW3, ww4 | Tags: foreign military financing, Iskander missiles, missile shield, moskva, nuclear war, nuclear warfare, pantsyr-S1, russian peacekeepers, S-300 air-missile, tartus, warships
Syria: we’ll host Russian missile system
Russia Sends Aircraft Carrier To Syria
Barents Observer
August 20, 2008
The Russian aircraft carrier “Admiral Kuznetsov” is ready to head from Murmansk towards the Mediterranean and the Syrian port of Tartus. The mission comes after Syrian President Bashar Assad said he is open for a Russian base in the area.
The “Admiral Kuznetsov”, part of the Northern Fleet and Russia’s only aircraft carrier, will head a Navy mission to the area. The mission will also include the missile cruiser “Moskva” and several submarines, Newsru.com reports.
President Assad in meetings in Moscow this week expressed support to Russia’s intervention in South Ossetia and Georgia. He also expressed interest in the establishment of Russian missile air defence facilities on his land.
The “Admiral Kuznetsov” also last year headed a navy mission to the Mediterranean. Then, on the way from the Kola Peninsula and south, it stopped in the North Sea where it conducted a navy training exercise in the immediate vicinity of Norwegian offshore installations.
Syria: Time ripe for closer Russia military ties
Press TV
August 20, 2008
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says the conflict in the Caucasus underlines the need for Russia and Syria to expand military ties.
In an interview with Kommersant, President al-Assad said Damascus is prepared to ’speed up’ defense cooperation with Moscow.
“I think that everyone in Russia and in the world is now aware of Israel’s role and its military consultants in the Georgian crisis,” said President al-Assad, who will meet his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, on Thursday.
Such deals would irk Washington and Tel Aviv, which have long asked Moscow not to sell weapons to countries that share borders with the occupied territories.
Reports, however, indicate that Russia is eager to revive its defense ties with Syria following the South Ossetian conflict, in which Georgia used Israeli-supplied equipment.
An Israeli website reported that Moscow plans to deploy advanced missile systems – including the S-300 air-missile defense system as well as the nuclear-capable Iskander missiles – in Syria in the near future.
A Russian official was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying that a number of deals involving anti-aircraft and anti-tank missile systems are being prepared by Russia and Syria.
“Damascus is Moscow’s long-standing partner in military cooperation and we are expecting to reach an agreement in principle on new weapons deals,” said the source.
The official added that the Syrians are interested in acquiring Russia’s Pantsyr-S1 Air Defense Missile systems, BUK-M1 surface-to-air medium-range missile system, military aircraft, and other hardware.
Russia has condemned both Israel and the US for their role in arming the Georgian military with sophisticated weapons.
Israel claims it has not directly equipped or trained the Georgian military, and private Israeli firms – with the defense ministry’s approval- are responsible for such dealings.
Russia Looks To Send Navy Fleet To Caribbean
Bloomberg
August 18, 2008
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Russia has expressed interest in sending a naval fleet to the Caribbean. He said Venezuela would welcome the visit.
The naval fleet would come to Caribbean waters on a trip of “friendship and work,’’ Chavez said in comments on state television. Venezuela has bought Sukhoi fighter jets from Russia and is evaluating the purchase of submarines, Chavez said.
“We’ve been informed that the Russian government wants to visit Venezuela,’’ Chavez said. “They want a Russian fleet to come to the Caribbean. If they come, they’ll be welcomed.’’
Venezuela has spent billions of dollars in modernizing its armed forces in recent years, purchasing arms mainly from Russia. The South American country has also criticized the U.S.’s reactivation of the Navy’s Fourth Fleet to patrol the Caribbean on anti-narcotics missions.
Chavez said he’s interested in buying K-8 Chinese training jets after the U.S. stopped selling replacement parts for existing Venezuelan aircraft. He said he’ll visit China in September.
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5513
Russia moving missile launchers into South Ossetia
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008120494_ossetia18.html
Syria Signs Defense Pact With Russia
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/t..iddle_east/article4573599.ece
Russia Checkmates the Neocons
http://www.infowars.com/?p=4071
Big Russian flotilla led by Admiral Kuznetsov carrier heads for Syrian port
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5526
Filed under: Afghanistan, Ahmadinejad, airstrikes, blockade, Coup, False Flag, federal crime, Genocide, georgia, Germany, h.con.res.362, Iran, Iran war resolution, Iraq, Israel, Military, military strike, moscow, nation building, navy, Nuke, occupation, Pakistan, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Russia, Sanctions, Shock and Awe, South Ossetia, staged provocation, Tehran, Troops, Turkey, War Crimes, War On Terror, Washington D.C., WW3, ww4 | Tags: dolphin submarines, F-16I, nuclear war
’US sources hint that by rejecting Iran sanctions, Moscow opens door to Israeli attack’
DEBKAfile
August 7, 2008
Sources in Washington commented Wednesday night, Aug. 6, that, while it is unlikely that Israel would attack Iran without US approval, this might change if tough sanctions were taken off the table. They reported Israel was building up its strike capabilities for an attack, had purchased 90 F-16I planes that can carry enough fuel to reach Iran and would receive another 11 by the end of next year. The Jewish state had also bought two new Dolphin submarines from Germany capable of firing nuclear-armed warheads, in addition to the three already in service with its navy.
According to foreign media, Israel is active inside Iranian territory.
DEBKAfile reports that this information was leaked by Washington sources, apparently to warn Moscow that by closing the door to sanctions, it was opening the door to an Israeli attack.
Is the war in Georgia related to the Iran blockade?
One thing the Georgia war has accomplished is to deny Russian troops access to Georgian territory. This may plug a major hole through which Russia could have supplied or armed Iran.
Filed under: Ahmadinejad, airstrikes, blockade, Britain, Condoleezza Rice, Coup, egypt, Europe, european union, False Flag, George Bush, gulf, h.con.res.362, hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, Iran war resolution, Israel, jerusalem, John Bolton, middle east, Military, military strike, neocons, Nuke, Pentagon, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Shock and Awe, Syria, Tehran, Turkey, United Kingdom, War On Terror, Washington D.C., WW3, ww4 | Tags: ISIS, nuclear war, Science and International Security, soldiers, South Ossetia, u.s. soldiers, US Naval warships, USCENTCOM, USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Iwo Jima, USS Pearl Harbor, USS Peleliu, USS Ronald Reagon, USS Roosevelt, USS Theodore Roosevelt
U.S. stalls Israeli military strike on Iran
Haaretz
August 8, 2008
The American administration has rejected an Israeli request for military equipment and support that would improve Israel’s ability to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities.
A report published last week by the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) states that military strikes are unlikely to destroy >Iran’s centrifuge program for enriching uranium.
The Americans viewed the request, which was transmitted (and rejected) at the highest level, as a sign that Israel is in the advanced stages of preparations to attack Iran. They therefore warned Israel against attacking, saying such a strike would undermine American interests. They also demanded that Israel give them prior notice if it nevertheless decided to strike Iran.
As compensation for the requests it rejected, Washington offered to improve Israel’s defenses against surface-to-surface missiles.
Israel responded by saying it reserves the right to take whatever action it deems necessary if diplomatic efforts to halt Iran’s nuclearization fail.
Senior Israeli officials had originally hoped that U.S. President George Bush would order an American strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities before leaving office, as America’s military is far better equipped to conduct such a strike successfully than is Israel’s.
Jerusalem also fears that an Israeli strike, even if it succeeded well enough to delay Iran’s nuclear development for a few years, would give Iran international legitimacy for its program, which it currently lacks. Israel, in contrast, would be portrayed as an aggressor, and would be forced to contend alone with Iran’s retaliation, which would probably include thousands of missile strikes by Iranian allies Hezbollah, Hamas and perhaps even Syria.
Rice: Israel Can Attack Iran if It Wants
The Jerusalem Post
August 10, 2008
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice defended Israel’s right to make its own decision about whether it takes military action against Iran, in an interview released over the weekend.
“We don’t say yes or no to Israeli military operations. Israel is a sovereign country,” she said in response to a question from The Politico Web site as to whether she was concerned that America would be blamed in the case of an IDF attack on the Islamic Republic.
Her statements come amid speculation that Washington has warned Jerusalem not to attack Iran and media reports that the US told Israel it doesn’t have the green light to use Iraqi airspace for any such attack.
US: No plan for naval blockade of Iran
Press TV
August 13, 2008
A senior official with the US Defense Department has dismissed reports that Washington is planning a naval blockade of Iran.
“As a matter of policy we do not discuss current or future ship’s movements. However, I can tell you that reports of an alleged naval blockade of Iran are false,” Lt. Col. Patrick Ryder, a spokesman for the assistant secretary of defense for public affairs told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.
“We routinely rotate deployed naval forces in the USCENTCOM area of responsibility,” he added.
The US Central Command supervises US military operations in the Middle East, East Africa and Central Asia.
On Monday, Egypt’s Middle East Times reported that a massive US and European armada was heading towards the Persian Gulf for a naval blockade of Iran.
The report said that the force included the nuclear-powered American aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt as well as forces from the British Royal Navy and a French nuclear submarine.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=66457§ionid=351020101
Bolton: Regime Change In Iran ‘Would Lead To Greater Stability In The Region’
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/08/06/bolton-stability-in-region/
Iran: We will protect our waters
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=66556§ionid=351020101
U.S. Continues Allegations Against Iran
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43540
Iran warns against ’surprise attack’
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=66379§ionid=351020104
EU expands Iran nuclear sanctions, joins U.S. blockade
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7549879.stm
Why the Pentagon Thinks Attacking Iran is a Bad Idea
http://www.usnews.com/articles/ne..gon-thinks-attacking-iran-is-a-bad-idea.html
Israel irked over Iranian leader’s planned visit to Turkey
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/200..elirandiplomacy_080808113841
Study Cautions Against Strike on Iran’s Nuclear Facilities
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp..AR2008080703026.html?nav=rss_nation
Massive U.S. Naval Armada Heads For Iran
http://noworldsystem.co..-naval-armada-heads-for-iran/
Coup on Iran & False Flag News Archive
Filed under: Ahmadinejad, airstrikes, atlantic, Bio Weapons, biochemicals, Biological Attack, biological warfare, blockade, Britain, China, Condoleezza Rice, Congress, Coup, Europe, european union, False Flag, federal crime, France, genetically modified, georgia, GM, gulf, h.con.res.362, Iran, Iran war resolution, Israel, Japan, man made disease, man made diseases, middle east, Mikheil Saakashvili, Military, military strike, moscow, NATO, navy, neocons, Nuke, ocean, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Propaganda, putin, Russia, Saber Rattling, Shock and Awe, South Ossetia, Soviet Union, Syria, Tehran, Troops, United Kingdom, War Crimes, war games, War On Terror, WW3, ww4 | Tags: kadafi, nuclear war, soldiers, u.s. soldiers, US Naval warships, USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Iwo Jima, USS Pearl Harbor, USS Peleliu, USS Ronald Reagon, USS Roosevelt, USS Theodore Roosevelt
Massive U.S. Naval Armada Heads For Iran
Europe Business
August 7, 2008
Operation Brimstone ended only one week ago. This was the joint US/UK/French naval war games in the Atlantic Ocean preparing for a naval blockade of Iran and the likely resulting war in the Persian Gulf area. The massive war games included a US Navy supercarrier battle group, an US Navy expeditionary carrier battle group, a Royal Navy carrier battle group, a French nuclear hunter-killer submarine plus a large number of US Navy cruisers, destroyers and frigates playing the “enemy force”.
The lead American ship in these war games, the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN71) and its Carrier Strike Group Two (CCSG-2) are now headed towards Iran along with the USS Ronald Reagon (CVN76) and its Carrier Strike Group Seven (CCSG-7) coming from Japan.
They are joining two existing USN battle groups in the Gulf area: the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN72) with its Carrier Strike Group Nine (CCSG-9); and the USS Peleliu (LHA-5) with its expeditionary strike group.
Likely also under way towards the Persian Gulf is the USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) and its expeditionary strike group, the UK Royal Navy HMS Ark Royal (R07) carrier battle group, assorted French naval assets including the nuclear hunter-killer submarine Amethyste and French Naval Rafale fighter jets on-board the USS Theodore Roosevelt. These ships took part in the just completed Operation Brimstone.
The build up of naval forces in the Gulf will be one of the largest multi-national naval armadas since the First and Second Gulf Wars. The intent is to create a US/EU naval blockade (which is an Act of War under international law) around Iran (with supporting air and land elements) to prevent the shipment of benzene and certain other refined oil products headed to Iranian ports. Iran has limited domestic oil refining capacity and imports 40% of its benzene. Cutting off benzene and other key products would cripple the Iranian economy. The neo-cons are counting on such a blockade launching a war with Iran.
The US Naval forces being assembled include the following:
Carrier Strike Group Nine
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN72) nuclear powered supercarrier
with its Carrier Air Wing Two
Destroyer Squadron Nine:
USS Mobile Bay (CG53) guided missile cruiser
USS Russell (DDG59) guided missile destroyer
USS Momsen (DDG92) guided missile destroyer
USS Shoup (DDG86) guided missile destroyer
USS Ford (FFG54) guided missile frigate
USS Ingraham (FFG61) guided missile frigate
USS Rodney M. Davis (FFG60) guided missile frigate
USS Curts (FFG38) guided missile frigate
Plus one or more nuclear hunter-killer submarines
Peleliu Expeditionary Strike Group
USS Peleliu (LHA-5) a Tarawa-class amphibious assault carrier
USS Pearl Harbor (LSD52) assult ship
USS Dubuque (LPD8) assult ship/landing dock
USS Cape St. George (CG71) guided missile cruiser
USS Halsey (DDG97) guided missile destroyer
USS Benfold (DDG65) guided missile destroyer
Carrier Strike Group Two
USS Theodore Roosevelt (DVN71) nuclear powered supercarrier
with its Carrier Air Wing Eight
Destroyer Squadron 22
USS Monterey (CG61) guided missile cruiser
USS Mason (DDG87) guided missile destroyer
USS Nitze (DDG94) guided missile destroyer
USS Sullivans (DDG68) guided missile destroyer
USS Springfield (SSN761) nuclear powered hunter-killer submarine
IWO ESG ~ Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group
USS Iwo Jima (LHD7) amphibious assault carrier
with its Amphibious Squadron Four
and with its 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit
USS San Antonio (LPD17) assault ship
USS Velia Gulf (CG72) guided missile cruiser
USS Ramage (DDG61) guided missile destroyer
USS Carter Hall (LSD50) assault ship
USS Roosevelt (DDG80) guided missile destroyer
USS Hartfore (SSN768) nuclear powered hunter-killer submarine
Carrier Strike Group Seven
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN76) nuclear powered supercarrier
with its Carrier Air Wing 14
Destroyer Squadron 7
USS Chancellorsville (CG62) guided missile cruiser
USS Howard (DDG83) guided missile destroyer
USS Gridley (DDG101) guided missile destroyer
USS Decatur (DDG73) guided missile destroyer
USS Thach (FFG43) guided missile frigate
USNS Rainier (T-AOE-7) fast combat support ship
Also likely to join the battle armada:
UK Royal Navy HMS Ark Royal Carrier Strike Group with assorted guided missile destroyers and frigates, nuclear hunter-killer submarines and support ships
French Navy nuclear powered hunter-killer submarines (likely the Amethyste and perhaps others), plus French Naval Rafale fighter jets operating off of the USS Theodore Roosevelt as the French Carrier Charles de Gaulle is in dry dock, and assorted surface warships
Various other US Navy warships and submarines and support ships. The following USN ships took part (as the “enemy” forces) in Operation Brimstone and several may join in:
USS San Jacinto (CG56) guided missile cruiser
USS Anzio (CG68) guided missile cruiser
USS Normandy (CG60) guided missile cruiser
USS Carney (DDG64) guided missile destroyer
USS Oscar Austin (DDG79) guided missile destroyer
USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG81) guided missile destroyer
USS Carr (FFG52) guided missile frigate
The USS Iwo Jima and USS Peleliu Expeditionary Strike Groups have USMC Harrier jump jets and an assortment of assault and attack helicopters. The Expeditionary Strike Groups have powerful USMC Expeditionary Units with amphibious armor and ground forces trained for operating in shallow waters and in seizures of land assets, such as Qeshm Island (a 50 mile long island off of Bandar Abbas in the Gulf of Hormuz and headquarters of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps).
The large and very advanced nature of the US Naval warships is not only directed at Iran. There is a great fear that Russia and China may oppose the naval and air/land blockade of Iran. If Russian and perhaps Chinese naval warships escort commercial tankers to Iran in violation of the blockade it could be the most dangerous at-sea confrontation since the Cuban Missile Crisis. The US and allied Navies, by front loading a Naval blockade force with very powerful guided missile warships and strike carriers is attempting to have a force so powerful that Russia and China will not be tempted to mess with. This is a most serious game of military brinkmanship with major nuclear armed powers that have profound objections to the neo-con grand strategy and to western control of all of the Middle East’s oil supply.
The Russian Navy this spring sent a major battle fleet into the Mediterranean headed by the modern aircraft carrier the Admiral Kuznetsov and the flagship of its Black Sea Fleet, the Guided Missile Heavy Cruiser Moskva. This powerful fleet has at least 11 surface ships and unknown numbers of subs and can use the Russian naval facility at Syria’s Tartous port for resupply. The Admiral Kuznetsov carries approximately 47 warplanes and 10 helicopters. The warplanes are mostly the powerful Su-33, a naval version (with mid-air refueling capability) of the Su-27 family. While the Su-33 is a very powerful warplane it lacks the power of the stealth USAF F-22. However, the Russians insist that they have developed a plasma based system that allows them to stealth any aircraft and a recent incident where Russian fighters were able to appear unannounced over a US Navy carrier battle group tends to confirm their claims. The Su-33 can be armed with the 3M82 Moskit sea-skimming missile (NATO code name SS-N-22 Sunburn) and the even more powerful P-800 Oniks (also named Yakhonts; NATO code name SS-N-26 Onyx). Both missiles are designed to kill US Navy supercarriers by getting past the cruiser/destroyer screen and the USN point-defense Phalanx system by using high supersonic speeds and violent end maneuvers. Russian subs currently use the underwater rocket VA-111 Shkval (Squall), which is fired from standard 533mm torpedo tubes and reaches a speed of 360kph (230mph) underwater. There is no effective countermeasures to this system and no western counterpart.
A strategic diversion has been created for Russia. The Republic of Georgia, with US backing, is actively preparing for war on South Ossetia. The South Ossetia capital has been shelled and a large Georgian tank force has been heading towards the border. Russia has stated that it will not sit by and allow the Georgians to attack South Ossetia. The Russians are great chess players and this game may not turn out so well for the neo-cons.
Kuwait has activated its “Emergency War Plan” as it and other Gulf nations prepare for the likelihood of a major regional war in the Middle East involving weapons of mass destruction.
The two-ton elephant in the living room of the neo-con strategy is the advanced biowar (ABW) that Iran, and to a lessor extent Syria, has. This places the motherlands of the major neo-con nations (America, France, the United Kingdom), as well as Israel, in grave danger. When the Soviet Union fell the Iranians hired as many out-of-work former Soviet advanced biowar experts as possible. In the last 15 or so years they have helped to develop a truly world class ABW program utilizing recombination DNA genetic engineering technology to create a large number of man made killer viruses. This form of weapon system does not require high tech military delivery systems. The viruses are sub-microscopic and once seeded in a population use the population itself as vectors. Seeding can be done without notice in shopping malls, churches, and other public places. The only real defense to an advanced global strategic biowar attack is to lock down the population as rapidly as possible and let those infected die off.
Unless the public gets it act together and forces the neo-cons to stop the march to yet another war in the Middle East we are apt to see a truly horrific nightmare unfold in OUR COUNTRIES.
United States was once ally of Iran for the “War On Terror”
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1009504.html
US threatens Iran with ‘punitive’ measures
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2370594,00.html
Israel Building Up Strike Capabilities Against Iran
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/08/07/isr..e-capabilities-against-iran/
Iran submits nuclear letter, no mention of freeze
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3578123,00.html
U.S.: Iranian Response On Nukes Unacceptable
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D92C9MC81&show_article=1
Kadhafi warns ‘arrogant’ Iran of military humiliation
http://www.spacewar.com/2006/080805155712.qouscvqz.html