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What are U.S. Military Options in Iran?
FOXNews ^ | 4-21-05 | FOX News Staff

Posted on 04/21/2005 11:07:29 PM PDT by Cyclopean Squid

What Are U.S. Military Options in Iran? Thursday, April 21, 2005

WASHINGTON — U.S. officials are still trying to find a diplomatic resolution over Iran's interest in creating nuclear facilities. But if diplomacy fails, the Bush administration is also looking at its military options.

FOX News spoke with two retired generals and a military expert, who outlined some of the options on the table for the Pentagon.

Covert Action: The Bush administration might send CIA agents or commandos to sabotage Iran’s nuclear facilities.

“There were no smoking guns, no fingerprints,” said Walter Russell Mead (search), with the Council on Foreign Relations. “We wouldn’t be faced with that ugly, ugly choice of, we have a war or they get a weapon.”

Naval Blockade: U.S. warships would be sent into the Strait of Hormuz (search) to stop the export of Iranian oil. This would pressure the mullahs to give up enriching uranium and allow intrusive inspections...

--SNIP--

Surgical Strikes: U.S. forces could zero in on Iranian nuclear targets, hitting the country’s highest-risk sites...

--SNIP--

All-Out Assault: A huge American military effort, involving hundreds of thousands of troops, would be needed to get “boots on the ground.” But the experts FOX News spoke with consider that to be the least likely scenario...

--SNIP--

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: airstrikes; covertoperations; invasion; iran; iranpolicy; military; southwestasia; waronterror
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Read it all. A good summary of possible actions to take against a recalcitrant Iranian Government. This will be THE big story over the summer, I think.
1 posted on 04/21/2005 11:07:29 PM PDT by Cyclopean Squid
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To: Cyclopean Squid

How about we give them the red carpet treatment?


2 posted on 04/21/2005 11:13:05 PM PDT by umgud
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To: freedom44

Iran ping


3 posted on 04/21/2005 11:15:55 PM PDT by FairOpinion
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To: Cyclopean Squid

If military action takes place against Iran you will hear the familiar recycled talking points that the Dems used for the '04 election and Iraq:

Iran is not a threat, just like Saddam wasn't. Iran has nothing to do with terrorism, either. These people don't want freedom. We are only looking at excuses to get more oil for Bush, Cheney and Halliburton.


4 posted on 04/21/2005 11:17:56 PM PDT by Stellar Dendrite (How soon will the U.S.A. be U.S.S.A.?)
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To: Stellar Dendrite

Heck, our friends the anti-war protesters will probably re-use their same ol' signs, and just change the Q to an N. And why not? Most of the slogans they used were ripped off of "They Live" anyway, so why not self-plargiarize off of a plagiarism?


5 posted on 04/21/2005 11:21:45 PM PDT by Cyclopean Squid (History remembers only what was, not what might have been.)
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To: Cyclopean Squid

If there are military actions against Iran you can kiss the vastly pro-American populace goodbye and you can say hello to the greatest strategic foreign mishap in the history of the US.

This is not Iraq - this is vastly different country with a totally different ethnicity, culture, history and political leaning.

President Bush will not strike Iran b/c he has brilliant scholars surrounding him.


6 posted on 04/21/2005 11:24:35 PM PDT by freedom44
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To: Cyclopean Squid
Well I think they should attack Iraq, first, with bombs, and rockets destroying their homes, and then when Iranian forces run helpless into the streets, mowing them down with machine guns and then of course releasing the vultures.

I know these views aren't popular, but I have never courted popularity.

7 posted on 04/21/2005 11:30:00 PM PDT by zarf
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To: freedom44

I'm not so sure that there won't be some form of military operations against Iran in the near future. The current intransigence of the mullahs seems to preclude any purely diplomatic option, and I think the President (and others) find it unacceptable for the current Iranian government to produce a nuclear device. In all likelihood, they would supply a terrorist organization with it and deliver the weapon to its target by proxy.

The President understands the pro-American viewpoint of many Iranians, but if the decision comes down to alienating a foreign people and protecting American interests, you had better believe he will go with the latter. He is encouraging the Iranian opposition to act against the mullahs, and there is something afoot there, but it is unlikely that they will succeed absent outside intervention, or the defection of the Iranian armed forces to the side of the opposition (unlikely, because as I understand many are foreign mercenaries).

I'm sure the President and his advisors are well aware of the differences b/w Iran and Iraq, including the difficult topography of Iran and its different past. No two war plans look exactly the same, and I'm sure the powers that be have taken all that into account. That said, I hope and believe it won't come to all-out war.

Finally, I beg to differ about military actions against Iran being the greatest strategic foreign mishap in the history of the US. That would be, in my estimation, the failure to give succor to the Shah in 1979. If we had supported him then, who knows where Iran (and the Middle East) would be today.

You clearly know much more about Iran than I do, being an Iranian-American yourself, and I am an eager student. I'd appreciate any more info you might have to offer.


8 posted on 04/21/2005 11:36:56 PM PDT by Cyclopean Squid (History remembers only what was, not what might have been.)
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To: Cyclopean Squid
What Are U.S. Military Options in Iran?

Staying out of their business and minding our own.
9 posted on 04/21/2005 11:40:42 PM PDT by w6ai5q37b (There's no such thing as "free trade." Nothing in life is free.)
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To: Cyclopean Squid

Our options are to stand of nuclear attack. Otherwise, we'll have this going on:

http://www.ogrish.com/archives/2005/april/ogrish-dot-com-helicopter_downed2.wmv

No more child games of war.


10 posted on 04/21/2005 11:42:10 PM PDT by LAURENTIJ
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To: LAURENTIJ

stand of = stand off


11 posted on 04/21/2005 11:42:35 PM PDT by LAURENTIJ
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To: LAURENTIJ

And yes, that's video of the 'alledged survivor' in today's helicopter crash.


12 posted on 04/21/2005 11:43:10 PM PDT by LAURENTIJ
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To: Cyclopean Squid

I'd love to help. I'm, of course, more a capital A as in American than I as in Iranian, but i'm an American who speaks fluent Farsi and can certainly help whenever desired.


13 posted on 04/21/2005 11:44:12 PM PDT by freedom44
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To: LAURENTIJ

I saw the thread over at LGF (http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=15560_Monsters#comments). Cruel, mocking villains. Also accorder to the Lizardoids, the site you linked to is pretty sick. It contains many important videos such as with the murdered survivor, but everyone should be forewarned about the rough content.


14 posted on 04/21/2005 11:46:02 PM PDT by Cyclopean Squid (History remembers only what was, not what might have been.)
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To: w6ai5q37b

In response to possible military options against Iran, you wrote: "Staying out of their business and minding our own."

Pat Buchanan has been shouting the same thing from the rooftops to all who will listen, but it just doesn't wash. Iran's mullahs have been in the business of financing and exporting terrorism. That is their business, which makes it our own. Who do you think is the target of any nuclear device the Iranians produce?


15 posted on 04/21/2005 11:50:13 PM PDT by Rembrandt_fan
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To: Cyclopean Squid

It's incredibly rough. A friend of mine and I agree it's about the worst video yet, and we've both seen the heads sawn off.

What's gonna be next? Our kids at schools begging to be released and them them shot up or their heads ripped off with 'allahu akbar' going on?

Get ready America, that's what's coming.


16 posted on 04/21/2005 11:54:37 PM PDT by LAURENTIJ
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To: Cyclopean Squid

They left out "support and arm Iran's internal enemies," which is the cheapest and easiest way to bring down an enemy regime. We'd be fools to not be doing this already.


17 posted on 04/22/2005 12:01:34 AM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: freedom44

I am in total agreement to that,since Iran atleast were against Saddam and the Taliban during our campaigns against those terroristic regimes. Iran is another matter. They have a society that at least has the vestiges of a pluralistic democracy,suppressed though as it was.


18 posted on 04/22/2005 12:11:09 AM PDT by Moderate right-winger (BEWARE of 2006 and 2008)
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To: freedom44

I am in total agreement to that,since Iran atleast were against Saddam and the Taliban during our campaigns against those terroristic regimes. Iran is another matter. They have a society that at least has the vestiges of a pluralistic democracy,suppressed though as it was.


19 posted on 04/22/2005 12:11:13 AM PDT by Moderate right-winger (BEWARE of 2006 and 2008)
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To: umgud

Make it the worlds largest parking lot.


20 posted on 04/22/2005 1:29:29 AM PDT by gulfcoast6 (Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is yet to come, today is here now, enjoy it.)
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