Showdown Looms in Persian Gulf as US Sends 2nd Aircraft Carrier

Arutz Sheva - IsraelNationalNews ^ | 1/16/7 | Gil Zohar

[SmithL]

Is the United States gearing up for an attack on Iran?

The deployment of a second U.S. aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf has analysts speculating that President Bush means to stop Tehran's nuclear ambitions by force if necessary.

The USS John C. Stennis was scheduled to sail Tuesday from its homeport of
Bremerton, Washington. When the second carrrier arrives in the Middle East next month, this will be the first time since the U.S.-led Iraq invasion in 2003 that the United States will have two carrier battle groups in the region, according to a U.S. Navy official.

The increase in U.S. forces is a show of strength by Washington in the face of Iran's growing regional assertiveness and a perception among U.S. adversaries that the United States is vulnerable in Iraq, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday.

The Stennis is a Nimitz-class carrier, with approximately 3,200 sailors. It will stop off in San Diego to pick an air wing of more than 80 planes, including F/A-18 Hornet and Superhornet fighter-bombers.

After a monthlong voyage across the Pacific and Indian oceans, the Stennis will join the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, which is already tasked to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, based in the Gulf sheikhdom of Bahrain, said Cmdr. Kevin Aandahl of the Fifth Fleet.

Once in Middle East waters, the second aircraft carrier will significantly boost U.S. air power in the region and serve as a reminder of U.S. firepower to Iran.

"This demonstrates our resolve to do what we can to bring security and stability to the region," Aandahl said. "That's obviously to dissuade others from acting counter to our national interest."

Washington will maintain two carriers in the Middle East "as long as the
situation demands it," Aandahl said. A typical carrier deployment lasts six months.

In a related matter, the U.S. recently deployed a Patriot air defense missile battalion in the Middle East.

As well, at least 16 US F-16 fighter aircraft arrived January 12 in Turkey's strategic Incirlink air base for the first time in three years. According to local Cihan News Agency, the F-16s were accompanied by an early warning system AWACS airplane and tanker airplanes from an American base in Germany. An official at the US embassy in Ankara said the planes had arrived for joint exercises with the Turkish military.

On Thursday, US forces in Iraq detained five suspected members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards operating out of the northern Iraq town of Irbil in Kurdistan.

[unkus]

ping

[taxed2death]

Oil prices are too low. We gotts make 'em spike again some how. This mild winter is killing the quarterly profits.

[princess leah]

Maybe we are going in as the supporting role for another? (ie: Israel)

[Ben Mugged]

I hope Imajihad is stupid enough to attack an American carrier in the Persian Gulf. We will give him the opportunity to test those recently purchased Russian anti-aircraft systems.

[BMC1]

What mild winter? I guess all that ice and snow is global warming.

[WorkerbeeCitizen]

WOW!! That is a whole bunch of whoop a$$. Make ya go hmmmm?

[onyx]

BUMP!

[unkus]

I think that is a real possibility. Something is up when that much fire power is deployed. Add the submarines and somebody could get their butts kicked.

[MediaMole]

Nothing is going to happen. The administration has made no political preparations for an attack on Iran.

Goading the mullahs into a suicidal attack... that's another matter.

[frogjerk]

[AntiKev]

Not many will get this...but "Somebody gonna get hurt real bad."

[cookcounty]

Targeted attacks against Iranian assets supporting the Iraq insurgency?

This would be entirely justifiable at this point, the Iraqi government is now (finally) loudly complaining about Iranian interference. It would serve the secondary purpose of sobering up Iran regarding the consequences of not being serious about freezing its nuclear program: Message to Ahmedinajhad: We're more than ready to go the the mat if you continue on your course.

But how would the rest of the Islamo/Arab world respond? Short-term? Long-term? Do we care?

[ModelBreaker]

Oil prices are too low. We gotts make 'em spike again some how. This mild winter is killing the quarterly profits.

You can't be serious.

[stylin19a]

makes sense.
Israeli jets needs a shorter hop into Iran.

[RightWhale]

attack an American carrier in the Persian Gulf

Part of the carrier group might be in the Persian Gulf, but the carrier itself will be several minutes away by supersonic air.

[taxed2death]

We havn't had a single snow flake here in ct (yet). If this is global warming... I'm all for it!

Let's pollute like maniacs!

[Miss Didi]

Nothing is going to happen. The administration has made no political preparations for an attack on Iran.

What do you mean, MM? What political preparations could they make when every effort in the WOT gets blasted? Didn't W's last Iraq speech have some code lingo for Iran is next? Just asking.

[coon2000]

I disagree, something is coming Iran's way....it is absolutely required. W knows he is running out of time to act and so he will.

[BMC1]

I'm not into pollution and I'm not into this global warming crap either.