[OCC]

By then, the Pentagon plans to have at least 4 or 5 US aircraft carriers visible from Iranian shores.

Is that wise? I understand about making a show of force, but that seems like a lot of eggs in one basket. Why not start by deploying a bunch of B-52's and B-1's to Iraq, Afghanistan and Diego Garcia?

[ThunderSleeps]

I'd go with the much cheaper solution. Just let him know that somewhere in the Indian Ocean south of him was an SSBN with a target package that included every city, research facility, and significant military installation in Iran.

You're right though, 4 or 5 carriers is too much. More than you need, more of a commitment than you want to make. Takes deployment time away from other needs.