Iranian Army stages military maneuvers in southern Iran (Video Available)

Iranian.com | 12/2/2005

[F14 Pilot]

Watch military maneuvers in southern Iran.

Click on the link above to watch the recent military maneuvers of the Iranian Army

This is another sign that makes me think they are getting ready for a showdown with the rest of the world (read the US)

Another related story is Russian sale of anti-missile systems to Iran

Count down to crisis has just begun?

[Flavius]

According to the officials of Tor's manufacturer Antey and Russian state-owned arms sales company Rosvooruzheniye, Greece purchased 21 Tor-M1 SAM systems, that will be delivered by Russia within the next 15 months. The contracts signed by Greece and Rosvooruzheniye also provides Greece with an option to purchase 29 more of these systems under the same conditions.

Antey announced a planned release of a new variant of Tor-M1 anti-aircraft missile system. The new model, designated Tor-M1T, will be more affordable than the original Tor-M1 and will come in three versions: mobile, towed, and stationary.

[Flavius]

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Iran has signed a deal to buy Russian tactical surface-to-air missile systems, a Russian newspaper reported on Friday.

Iran is to buy 29 TOR-M1 systems, designed to bring down aircraft and guided missiles at low altitudes, said the Vedomosti daily, citing Russian defense sources close the deal.

The deal is the biggest sale of Russian defense hardware to Iran for about 5 years, the newspaper said. It did not say how much the order was worth.

Defense industry officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Tehran is under intense international pressure after failing to convince the United States and others its nuclear scientists are working on fuel for power stations rather than bombs.

Russia is helping Iran build a nuclear power station at Bushehr.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsAr...-IRAN-ARMS.xml

[F14 Pilot]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1532563/posts

[MRadtke]

I think they want to attack/invade Iraq as soon as the U.S. leaves.

[Atlantic Bridge]

This guy who is commentating the manoevers in this video is a feast for my ears. Very funny.

BTW - lots of US-made material. This is what happens if millitary goods are sold to dictators. No matter which colour they represent.

[F14 Pilot]

The late Shah of Iran purchased those stuff in 1970s

[rhainw]

Looks quite old hey

[NeonKnight]

Old Cobras and Huey's....looks a lot like the US Army from the 60's, except these Cobras and Hueys are old. At least when we were using them in large numbers, they were new.

[LSUfan]

Anyone know the NATO designation, if any, for this SAM?

[TheBattman]

All humor aside, if there is a possibility that we will be in a fight directly with Iran (and not just the terrorists they are sending across the border), we are in for a bit more of a "fight" than the Iraqis put up.

The Iranians are a great deal better equipped and organized than the Iraqis have been for over a decade. I would venture to say that the Iranians expect us to take them on in the near future - either because of their nuclear program, or because Iran has eyes on hitting Iraq soon after our departure (maybe the reason the liberals and some weak-kneed RINOs keep talking about deadlines?).

IT's going to take a far stronger stomach for a war with Iran than Iraq. I for one hope it doesn't come to it - too bad limp-wristed Jimmy Carter chose to not do anything....

[Atlantic Bridge]

The late Shah of Iran purchased those stuff in 1970s

I know. Although he was on our side, he was not elected... Sad but true. If the Iranians would have had the chance to choose their leaders freely, the turn to this stone-age-islamism maybe never would have happened. If opposition is suppressed brutally, the reaction tends to be extreme. The problem in Iran has its start with the coup against the democratically legitimated Mossadegh ("Operation Ajax"). Although Mossadegh's policy was not in the interest of the West, he would have been a better choice than the Shah. The Shah and his autocratic policy opened the way to Chomeini and all those other clowns with black turbans.

Freedom would have been the answer.

[Gefreiter]

Not sure what we see in that video. I saw about a half-dozen Chinooks, some old UH1s, and a couple of Cobras, probably Huey vintage as well.

I saw some engineers push a bridge around, and a bulldozer. And maybe a company's worth of armor and mech infantry maneuvering.

Nothing I saw here demonstrated anything but reasonable competency in driving.

I think the biggest threat from Iran is not its battlefield systems but its intelligence apparatus and its sponsorship for terrorism.

[F14 Pilot]

Although he was on our side, he was not elected...

Which king or queen has ever been elected?!

[pawdoggie]

Anyone know the NATO designation, if any, for this SAM?

IIRC, SA-10 or SA-10b.

[aegiscg47]

Although the Iranians are trying to modernize their forces and have been for the last 15 years, there is a qualitive difference in training, command & control, and large scale operations. If you read any books on the Iran-Iraq War, you see that the Iranians had little tactical skill, no operational imagination, and tanks were used as mobile pillboxes. They would probably fare better than the Iraqis in a stand up fight, but not by much.

[pawdoggie]

Anyone know the NATO designation, if any, for this SAM?

My previous reply was incorrect (I thought they were talking about the R-300). The final jeopardy answer is: The "Tor is the SA-15 Gauntlet".

[Lejes Rimul]

That was twenty years ago, and just after Khomeini purged the Shah's military of its entire officer class. Granted, they're no military dynamos now, but the last twenty years have given them a chance to re-organize and re-equip their military. The only ones who probably really know are deep in the bowels of the Pentagon.

[jw777]

I think they want to do it before we leave. They'd have Syria engaging from the east, Terrorists in Iraq engaging within and themselves on the western front.