Posted on 02/26/2007 9:22:50 AM PST by stm
BAQOUBA, Iraq U.S. and Iraqi forces have seized a large weapons cache that includes parts for sophisticated roadside bombs that are believed to originate in Iran, U.S. military investigators said.
Military officials said that the arsenal is one of the biggest found north of the Iraqi capital and contains components for so-called EFPs explosively formed projectiles that fire a slug of molten metal that can penetrate armored vehicles.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Well, I think any weapons from Iran found in Iraq should be promptly returned.
With prejudice.
Return them strapped to a few dozen Tomahawks.
The troop surge is a manifest failure.
Was there ever any doubt that Iran had an oar in the water all the time in Iraq? A theocracy that wishes to establish another theocracy next door.
The 'rats won't believe even is the weapons come with autographed pictures of President Shorty.
With extreme prejudice.
But, Barak Obama wants to talk with them.
It's a bit early to be making that kind of judegement. Besides, locating caches of weapons and determining their origin is not the reason for the surge. The addition troops are to hold onto areas once we (us and the Iraqis) have swept the vermin out of an area. Ths discovery of this particular weapons cache was purely coincidental and very fortunate. Tying Iran to the insurgents allows us to put more pressure on Iran.
Ping for graphics
*** Bush has decided to overthrow Hussein ***
Knight Ridder Newspapers | Tue, Feb. 12, 2002 | By Warren P. Strobel and John Walcott
Posted on 02/13/2002 3:35:05 AM PST by HAL9000
WASHINGTON - President Bush has decided to oust Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein from power and ordered the CIA, the Pentagon and other agencies to devise a combination of military, diplomatic and covert steps to achieve that goal, senior U.S. officials said Tuesday.No military strike is imminent, but Bush has concluded that Saddam and his nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs are such a threat to U.S. security that the Iraqi dictator must be removed, even if U.S. allies do not help, said the officials, who all spoke on condition of anonymity.
"This is not an argument about whether to get rid of Saddam Hussein. That debate is over. This is ... how you do it," a senior administration official said in an interview with Knight Ridder.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now, the Islamofascist Serial Killers in charge of Iran are making the same mistake 5 years later. They are listening to our Rat traitors in congress and Mediot Traitors in control of our MSM and ignoring what President Bush and our allies, like Israel and the UK are saying and doing::
U.S.: Massive Weapons Find Exposes Iran's Meddling
Fox News ^ | February 26, 2007 | AP
Posted on 02/26/2007 9:22:50 AM PST by stm
BAQOUBA, Iraq U.S. and Iraqi forces have seized a large weapons cache that includes parts for sophisticated roadside bombs that are believed to originate in Iran, U.S. military investigators said.
Military officials said that the arsenal is one of the biggest found north of the Iraqi capital and contains components for so-called EFPs explosively formed projectiles that fire a slug of molten metal that can penetrate armored vehicles.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Stand-off in Gulf with Iran 'a bit like Cold War'
The Daily Telegraph ^ | February 26, 2007 | Damien McElroy
Posted on 02/26/2007 1:52:10 AM PST by MadIvan
Britain's most senior naval officer in the Gulf has likened the West's tense stand-off with Iran as being akin to "the height of the Cold War".
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Commodore Keith Winstanley also revealed that Royal Navy deployments in the region have almost doubled since October in a build-up that matches the rapid escalation of American maritime firepower.
Cdre Winstanley, who serves as deputy commander of coalition maritime operations for US Central Command, said that British trade and strategic interests dictated the necessity of a high and sustained commitment to patrol the seas around the Middle East.
"If you look at the UK component we have almost doubled it," he said aboard Sutherland, a Type 23 frigate, in Mina al-Salman port in Bahrain. "Most of these ships are here on training missions but there is no doubt that we could use the warfighting capabilities they possess."
Cdre Winstanley said there was a message for Iran in the expansion of the coalition fleet in the waters of the Gulf, Sea of Oman and Arabian Sea.
"There are extra challenges facing us," he said. "There have been a series of Iranian exercises in the northern Gulf to the point that it's a bit like with the Russians at the height of the Cold War.
"We just have to hope that's not a recipe for miscalculation."
Royal Navy commanders insist the build-up in the Gulf has not been ordered by the Ministry of Defence in direct response to Teheran's pursuit of an atomic weapons programme in defiance of a United Nations Security Council resolution.
But there are hopes that additional vessels will intensify pressure on the regime in Teheran to abandon its nuclear activities.
While most of the coalition is engaged in routine patrols, Cdre Winstanley refers to the area of operations as the battle-space.
Commitments include protecting Iraq's southern oil terminals against attack until the Iraqi navy can prove its competence to ensuring the six miles of shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz remain open.
Up to 80 per cent of Europe's trade with the Far East and a substantial proportion of the world's oil and gas passes through local waters.
Nineteen countries belong to the coalition commanded by US Admiral Patrick Walsh. Maps at the command centre show the position of 45 naval vessels from the southern coast of Pakistan to the east coast of Africa.
Terrorist threats and piracy loom large in operational plans. Cdre Bruce Williams, who commands Task 150, the southern segment of the coalition, said the concentration of naval firepower has steadily reduced the risk to commercial shipping.
His comments came as Iran launched its most aggressive salvo yet in the war of words over its "unstoppable" nuclear programme, promising that it was prepared "even for war".
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad likened his country's harnessing of nuclear technology which the West fears could be used to make an atomic weapon to a "train which has no brake and no reverse gear".
Iran also launched its first rocket into space yesterday. According to scientists at Iran's aerospace centre, the rocket was "carrying material intended for research created by the ministries of science and defence".
It remained briefly in low orbit before falling back to earth by parachute - a first for Iran.
Officials from the five members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany meet in London today to discuss possible sanctions after Iran ignored a deadline last week for it to halt its suspect nuclear activities.
14 Iranian troops killed in helicopter crash (Kurdish Pejak shot it down?)
AFP ^ | 02/26/07
Posted on 02/26/2007 2:23:09 AM PST by TigerLikesRooster
14 Iranian troops killed in helicopter crash
23 minutes ago
Fourteen Iranian military personnel were killed in a helicopter crash last week during an operation against rebels close to the Turkish border, the Revolutionary Guards confirmed on Monday.
A statement carried by the ISNA agency said that two commanders of the Guards' ground force and 12 other military personnel were killed in Friday's accident. Kurdish rebels had claimed they shot down the aircraft.
"Commanders Ghahari Said and Dorosti of the Guards' Hamzeh Army 3, along with 12 other members of the Islamic republic's army and the Guards, were martyred in the helicopter accident," the army statement said.
It said the operation against the "mercenary elements opposing the Islamic republic was carried out in the valleys close to the town of Khoy" 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the Turkish border.
Iranian state media had earlier reported that the crash was "an accident due to bad weather."
The Revolutionary Guards had said on Saturday they killed 17 rebels in the operation after besieging them.
Pejak, a Kurdish rebel group fighting in Iran, claimed on Sunday that it had shot down an Iranian helicopter.
The group, linked to Turkey's outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), also claimed to have fought an hour-long battle with Iranian troops and to have killed 20 soldiers, including senior officers.
Pejak's statement, which was distributed to reporters in two cities in northern Iraq's Kurdish autonomous region, said the group had captured a survivor from the helicopter crash and killed the chief of the Iranian army's 3rd Corps.
Iran's north-western West Azerbaijan province, which borders Turkey and Iraq, is the scene of regular armed clashes between Iranian border guards and Kurdish militant parties, Pejak in particular.
US funds terror groups to sow chaos in Iran
Daily Telegraph ^ | 2/25/07 | William Lowther
Posted on 02/25/2007 5:03:52 PM PST by rotstan
America is secretly funding militant ethnic separatist groups in Iran in an attempt to pile pressure on the Islamic regime to give up its nuclear programme.
In a move that reflects Washington's growing concern with the failure of diplomatic initiatives, CIA officials are understood to be helping opposition militias among the numerous ethnic minority groups clustered in Iran's border regions.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
UK doubles naval presence in Persian Gulf
The Telegraph ^ | Last Updated: 4:04pm GMT 25/02/2007 | Damien McElroy in Manama, Bahrain
Posted on 02/25/2007 8:27:41 AM PST by maquiladora
Britains senior naval officer in the Persian Gulf has revealed that Royal Navy deployments in the region have doubled since October in a build-up that matches the rapid escalation of American maritime firepower.
Commodore Keith Winstanley, who serves as deputy commander of coalition maritime operations for US Central Command, has told The Daily Telegraph that British trade and strategic interests dictate the necessity of a high and sustained commitment to patrol the seas around the Middle East.
If you look at the UK component we have almost doubled it, he said in an interview aboard HMS Sutherland in Mina al-Salman port.
Most of these ships are here on training missions but there is no doubt that we could use the warfighting capabilities they possess.
Cdre Winstanley said there was a message for Iran in the expansion of the coalition fleet in the waters of the Persian Gulf, Sea of Oman and Arabian Sea.
More ships on patrol would have strategic effects that went beyond the operational benefits of increased patrols.
Royal Navy commanders insist the build-up in the Gulf has not been ordered by the Ministry of Defence in direct response to Teherans pursuit of an atomic weapons programme in defiance of a United Nations Security Council resolution.
But there are hopes that additional vessels will intensify pressure on the regime in Tehran to abandon its nuclear activities.
The additional Royal Navy vessels sent to the Gulf include HMS Cornwall, a type 22 frigate, two mine sweepers, HMS Ramsey and HMS Blythe, and a vessel from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
The British ships will work in an American-led coalition of naval vessels, which has expanded rapidly in recent weeks with the arrival of a second aircraft carrier battle group, led by USS Stennis.
While most of the coalition is engaged in routine patrols, Cdre Winstanley refers to the area of operations as the "battle-space".
Commitments include protecting Iraqs southern oil terminals against attack until the Iraqi navy can prove its competence to ensuring the six miles of shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz remain open.
Up to 80 per cent of Europes trade with the Far East and a substantial proportion of the worlds oil and gas is shipped through local waters.
Cdre Winstanley said British strategic and economic self-interest dictated a strong Royal Navy commitment to the region.
We have a vested interest in the freedom of the high seas, he said.
We cant do that alone but we can make a contribution. There is a threat of widespread economic attack that I dont see diminishing.
Nineteen countries belong to the coalition led by US Admiral Patrick Walsh and his deputy, Cdre Winstanley.
Maps at the command centre show the position of 45 naval vessels from the southern coast of Pakistan to the east coast of Africa.
Terrorist threats and piracy loom large in operational plans.
Al-Qaeda has attacked and destroyed US vessels in Arabian ports and its leaders repeatedly called for strikes against oil platforms and loading docks.
British developed computer software, the Automatic Identification System (AIS) tracks vessels bigger than 300 tonnes throughout 2.5 million square miles.
Unlike traditional radar systems, the AIS gives naval planners a three dimensional view of the seas that enables detection of any unusual movements.
Commodore Bruce Williams who commands Task 150, the southern segment of the coalition, said the concentration of naval firepower has steadily reduced the risk to commercial shipping.
There are no guarantees, he said.
This is an area of economic vulnerabilities but we can cause the environment to shift to make it harder for those who would attack us to do their business.
Report: 3 Gulf states agree to IAF overflights en route to Iran
Haaretz ^ | February 25, 2007 | Yoav Stern and Yossi Melman
Posted on 02/25/2007 2:12:48 AM PST by West Coast Conservative
Three Arab states in the Persian Gulf would be willing to allow the Israel Air force to enter their airspace in order to reach Iran in case of an attack on its nuclear facilities, the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Siyasa reported on Sunday.
According to the report, a diplomat from one of the gulf states visiting Washington on Saturday said the three states, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, have told the United States that they would not object to Israel using their airspace, despite their fear of an Iranian response.
Al-Siyasa further reported that NATO leaders are urging Turkey to open its airspace for an Attack on Iran as well and to also open its airports and borders in case of a ground attack.
According to a British diplomat who spoke to an Al-Siyasa correspondent, Turkey will not repeat the mistake it made in 2003, when it refused to open its airspace to U.S. Air Force overflights en route to attacking Iraq.
British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday that Israel is negotiating with the U.S. over permission for an "air corridor" over Iraq, should an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities become necessary.
(Excerpt) Read more at haaretz.com ...
US warns Tehran over nuclear 'mistake'
Scotland on Sunday ^ | February 25, 2007 | ROHAN SULLIVAN
Posted on 02/25/2007 2:51:41 AM PST by MadIvan
US Vice-President Dick Cheney renewed Washington's criticism of Iran yesterday, warning the Islamic state it would be a "serious mistake" if it continued to develop nuclear technology.
A bullish Cheney, speaking in advance of tomorrow's crucial meeting of the UN Security Council in London, said "all options" remained on the table to deal with Iran after it ignored a UN deadline to halt uranium enrichment and said it would defy foreign pressure.
Cheney, speaking at a news conference with Australian Prime Minister John Howard, said the US remained "deeply concerned" about Iran's activities, including the "aggressive" sponsoring of terrorist group Hezbollah and inflammatory statements by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left.
Cheney said top US officials will soon be meeting European allies to decide the next step toward planned tough sanctions against Iran for its pursuit of nuclear weapons.
"We worked with the European community and the United Nations to put together a set of policies to persuade the Iranians to give up their aspirations and resolve the matter peacefully, and that is still our preference," Cheney said. "But I've also made the point, and the President has made the point, that all options are on the table," he added, appearing to leave open the possibility of military action.
"We believe it would be a serious mistake if a nation such as Iran became a nuclear power."
The International Atomic Energy Agency reported on Thursday that Iran had not only ignored a UN Security Council ultimatum to freeze the enrichment programme, but had expanded that programme by setting up hundreds of centrifuges. Enriched uranium fuels nuclear reactors but, enriched further, is used in nuclear bombs.
The United States and several of its Western allies fear that Iran is using its nuclear programme to produce an atomic weapon - charges Iran denies, saying its aim is to generate electricity.
Iran showed no signs later yesterday that it was prepared to back down.
Responding to Cheney's comments, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said the US was not in a position to take military action against it and urged Washington and its allies to engage in dialogue.
"We do not see America in a position to impose another crisis on its tax payers by starting another war in the region," Mottaki said.
Israel seeks all clear for Iran air strike
telegraph.co.uk (excerpt) ^ | February 24, 2007 | Con Coughlin
Posted on 02/24/2007 12:59:47 AM PST by HAL9000
Excerpt -
Israel is negotiating with the United States for permission to fly over Iraq as part of a plan to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, The Daily Telegraph can reveal.To conduct surgical air strikes against Iran's nuclear programme, Israeli war planes would need to fly across Iraq. But to do so the Israeli military authorities in Tel Aviv need permission from the Pentagon.
A senior Israeli defence official said negotiations were now underway between the two countries for the US-led coalition in Iraq to provide an "air corridor" in the event of the Israeli government deciding on unilateral military action to prevent Teheran developing nuclear weapons.
~ snip ~
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
TOPICS:Cheney hints at Iran strike
Herald Sun ^ | February 24, 2007 | Greg Sheridan
Posted on 02/23/2007 12:13:07 PM PST by West Coast Conservative
US Vice-President Dick Cheney has raised the possibility of military action to stop Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.
He has endorsed Republican senator John McCain's proposition that the only thing worse than a military confrontation with Iran would be a nuclear-armed Iran.
In an exclusive interview with The Weekend Australian, Mr Cheney said: "I would guess that John McCain and I are pretty close to agreement."
The visiting Vice-President said that he had no doubt Iran was striving to enrich uranium to the point where they could make nuclear weapons.
He accused Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of espousing an "apocalyptic philosophy" and making "threatening noises about Israel and the US and others".
He also said Iran was a sponsor of terrorism, especially through Hezbollah. However, the US did not believe Iran possessed any nuclear weapons as yet.
"You get various estimates of where the point of no return is," Mr Cheney said, identifying nuclear terrorism as the greatest threat to the world.
"Is it when they possess weapons or does it come sooner, when they have mastered the technology but perhaps not yet produced fissile material for weapons?"
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
TOPICS:Below is a YTD time line of events with Iran and our subsequent military buildup besides what we have in Iran and Afghanistan. This time line changes with additions or subtractions as more news related to Iran is posted on Free Republic or elsewhere.
If Tehran Only Knew, what will happen if there is no regime change in Iran.:
"In America, we lie for tactical reasons, stating over and over that military action against Iran is unlikely. However in Iran, out of ignorance, they reiterate that American military action against their country is impossible because the US is "unable" to do so!
We say and hope our analysis is wrong. A possible military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities is in the final stages. Unless a political miracle occurs that revives the halted dialog between Iran and the international community, Iran and its neighboring countries should not be surprised by a scenario that includes American military action. "
Just maybe, President Bush is purposely allowing the media and the left to spout their garbage in order to create the illusion that we are completely incapable of taking any action against Iran. It would come as a complete surprise if we did take action.
Summary of US military buildup in the Persian Gulf area since the first of the year:
Over the past month, the U.S. Navy has given orders to the U.S.S. John Stennis carrier battle group, based in Bremerton, WA, to steam toward the Persian Gulf, where it will join the U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Navy sources say the Pentagon is getting ready to announce the dispatch of a third carrier battle group the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan from San Diego. That will make three carrier battle groups in the region starting at around the end of January.
Oh, and along with them is the amphibious assault group led by the U.S.S. Boxer, which can land several thousand U.S. Marines to seize and destroy strategic sites near the coast at a moments notice. (Busheir? Bandar Abbas? Jask? The three Persian Gulf islands Iran seized from the UAE in the 1990s and has since fortified to harass Gulf shipping? Your pick).
Other recent US Naval and Marine Corp additions to handle/control/kill the Iranian Serial Killers:
Bataan Transits Suez Canal, Enters U.S. 5th Fleet Story Number: NNS070130-14 Release Date: 1/30/2007 7:00:00 PM
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class (SW) Joanne De Vera, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/ Commander, U.S. 5th Fleet Public Affairs
USS BATAAN, At Sea (NNS) -- The multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) and the Sailors and Marines of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) successfully transited the Suez Canal on Jan. 30 and entered the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations.
While in the region, the Bataan Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) will conduct maritime security operations (MSO).
MSO help set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment, as well as complement the counter-terrorism and security efforts of regional nations. These operations deny international terrorists use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons or other material.
U.S. 5th Fleets area of operations encompasses 2.5 million square miles of water and includes the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman and parts of the Indian Ocean.
Well continue our role as the surface warfare commander and the air defense commander for the Bataan Expeditionary Strike Group, said Cmdr. Jon Carriglitto, Bataans operations officer. Together with the MEU, we bring the ability to insert a quick, capable amphibious force where its needed.
While in theater, approximately 6,000 U.S. Sailors and Marines assigned to the ESG and the 26th MEU provide the combatant commander a versatile sea-based force that can be tailored to a variety of missions. The Bataan ESG has the capabilities to support MSO, combat operations and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief.
Bataan ESGs presence in the U.S. 5th Fleet will require the crew to conduct what it does best: well deck and flight deck operations, said Carriglitto. Well be conducting varsity-level operations, but much of it falls right in line with our ongoing training, so I know were ready to meet those challenges.
Bataan, commanded by Capt. David Hulse, left its homeport of Norfolk on Jan. 4 for a regularly-scheduled deployment as the flagship of the Bataan ESG. The ESG is comprised of the Bataan Strike Group, commanded by Commodore Donna Looney, commander, Bataan Strike Group/Amphibious Squadron 2, and the 26th MEU based out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., commanded by Col. Gregg Sturdevant.
In addition to Bataan, the strike group consists of USS Shreveport (LPD 12), USS Oak Hill (LSD 51), USS Vella Gulf (CG 72), USS Nitze (DDG 94), USS Underwood (FFG 36), and USS Scranton (SSN 756).
For related news, visit the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/Commander, U.S. 5th Fleet Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/cusnc/.
"Due to rapidly developing events in Somalia, U.S. Central Command has tasked USS Dwight D. Eisenhower to join USS Bunker Hill, USS Ramage, USS Anzio and USS Ashland to support ongoing maritime security operations off the coast of Somalia," said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Charlie Brown, a spokesman for 5th Fleet in Bahrain.
Aircraft Carrier USS Reagan at Sasebo, Japan (where does it go next?)
AP ^ | 02/24/07
Posted on 02/24/2007 12:04:39 AM PST by TigerLikesRooster
An aerial view shows U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald W. Reagan sailing into the Sasebo Port, western Japan, Saturday, Feb. 24 2007. The newest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier made a port call at Sasebo U.S. naval base Saturday. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) |
More Iranian related news:
01.31.07
Pentagon official tells LA Times aggressive new tactics designed to deter Iranian assistance to Iraqi militants may include more forceful patrols by fighter planes along Iran-Iraq border to counter smuggling of bomb supplies from Islamic Republic; For every improvised explosive device that goes off in Iraq, a bomb should go off in Iran, retired Air Force lieutenant general says.
IRAN CLOCK IS TICKING
Thursday, February 01, 2007 - FreeMarketNews.com
LINKED NEWS ANALYSIS
Military and intelligence sources continue to tell me that preparations are advancing for a war with Iran starting possibly as early as mid-to-late February. The sources offer some differences of opinion over whether Bush might cite a provocation from Iran or whether Israel will take the lead in launching air strikes against Irans nuclear facilities.
A Quote from: The Dogs of War - Lessons of the 20th Century. By Victor Davis Hanson, (author most recently of Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise of Western Power):
"I would not wish to fight the United States - either militarily, politically, or culturally. For every threat, our history teaches us that Americans offer not just a rejoinder, but the specter of a devastating answer of a magnitude almost inconceivable to those now chanting and threatening in the streets of the Middle East.
Do they have any idea of what sort of dangerous people we really are? Do they understand the history of the names of those ships now off their coasts, like the USS Peleliu or Enterprise, or the pedigree of the 82nd or 101st Airborne?"
In spite of all the reality above, the insane Islamofascist serial killers in charge of Iran are going ahead with naval war games in the Persian Gulf.
Iranian navy, air forces to launch wargames in Persian Gulf, Oman Sea IRNA / Reuters ^
Posted on 02/06/2007 10:20:34 AM PST by maquiladora
Missile units of the air and naval forces of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) will begin a specialized wargame in southern and central parts of Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman from Wednesday.
The announcement follows mounting tension with the United States, which has said it will step up pressure on Iran. This has included despatching a second aircraft carrier to the Gulf, a major shipping lane for oil exports.
The exercises will be staged on Wednesday and Thursday by the missile units of the Guards' naval and air forces, the semi-official Fars news agency reported, citing a Guards source.
Second US aircraft carrier arrives near Iran
AFP ^ | 02/20/07
Posted on 02/20/2007 8:15:53 AM PST by nypokerface
MANAMA (AFP) - A second US aircraft carrier has arrived in Middle Eastern waters as promised by US President George W. Bush in January amid an escalating crisis with nearby Iran over its nuclear program.
The USS John C. Stennis and its accompanying strike group joined the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Sea of Oman but has not yet entered Gulf waters, the US Fifth Fleet said Tuesday from its base in Manama.
The Stennis "entered the US 5th Fleet area of operations... to conduct maritime security operations in regional waters, as well as to provide support for ground forces operating in Afghanistan and Iraq," said a US statement.
Bush on January 10 unveiled his new strategy for Iraq which included deploying a second aircraft carrier group and a Patriot anti-missile defense system "to reassure our friends and allies."
Washington accuses arch-foe Tehran of stoking the insurgency in Iraq and of seeking to develop a nuclear bomb, charges denied by the Islamic republic.
Days after Bush's announcement, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the Stennis's redeployment was a signal to Iran, which, he said, has a "very negative" attitude.
Iran has also been carrying out military exercises in the region, including test-firing missiles and building drones that military commanders boasted could hit the US Navy.
The White House has repeatedly insisted it has no plans to strike Iran, and downplayed the significance of reinforcing the US military presence in the Gulf region.
Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin criticised the US military build-up in the Gulf, saying it did not fit in with Washington's Iraq strategy.
Hey, what is causing all those bright lights and loud noises!
The nuclear bomb used at Hiroshima was puny compared to what we have ready for the Islamofascist serial killers in Iran:
Atomic blast in Hiroshima
An atomic blast demolished the centre of Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6,1945. Japan agreed to surrender after a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9.
Iranian Map: Before we unleash the real hell on earth shown below for the Iranian Whackjobs:
Then, we show the suicidal Islamofascist serial killers in charge of Iran, what real nuclear weapons will do.
Iranian Map: After the above!
Besides the obvious air and missile strikes, we can cause a lot of economic problems for Iran using their techniques against them like the following: (Iranian) Pipeline blown up
Daily Times (Pakistan) ^ | February 21st, 2007
Posted on 02/21/2007 2:41:24 AM PST by M. Espinola
Quetta: Suspected Baloch militants blew up a gas pipeline near Quetta on Tuesday, The pipeline was close to Iran, but over the border in Pakistan, cutting supplies to a power plant and several areas, a gas company official said. Gas supplies were cut to four districts near Quetta and a 95 MW city power plant. Supplies might be restored to some areas within 24 hours, Nawaz said. No one was hurt in the early morning blast in the outskirts of Quetta. They planted explosives under an 18-inch pipeline that blew out a 4-foot piece of the pipe, said Sheikh Nawaz, general manager of Sui Southern Gas Company. agencies
In the meantime, the mediots of our MSM are focusing on more their hyped pseudo news like Anna Nicole instead of this messy reality stuff about Iran.
Forget the MSM pseudo news. For the real news come to Free Republic.
In their language, probably.
The EFP's might be from Iran, but I suspect Russia or China as the ones giving Iran this technology.
Obviously a truck driver got lost and just unloaded his truck when he ran out of fuel. I'm sure these were not meant to go from Iran to Iraq. They were probably supposed to go to Syria or Lebennon.
They just got sloppy, that's all.
I've about reached the conclusion that the only way to fight terorism is with bigger, badder and meaner terrorist tactics.
And no "moral relativizing" that "then we would be just like the terrorists" from the peanut gallery on the left will be allowed...!
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