Posted on 04/27/2008 9:26:56 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
America's top military officer has ratcheted up the pressure on Iran by issuing an unusual public warning that the Pentagon is planning for “potential military courses of action”.
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, blamed the Iranian government and Quds force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard for its “increasingly lethal and malign influence” in Iraq. He said conflict with Iran would be “extremely stressing” for America’s overstretched forces, but added: “It would be a mistake to think that we are out of combat capability.”
Mullen said he was increasingly concerned about Iran’s growing involvement in supplying munitions and training to rebel Shi’ite militias and “killing American and coalition soldiers in Iraq”.
Speaking at a Pentagon news conference late on Friday, he said recent operations in the southern port city of Basra had revealed “just how much and how far Iran is reaching into Iraq to foment instability”. A Pentagon source said the admiral’s frankness was “extremely significant” and could pave the way for some form of attack on Iran. However, Mullen said: “The solution right now still lies in using other levers of national power, including diplomatic, financial and international pressure.”
Mullen’s tough rhetoric came shortly after General David Petraeus, the US commander in Iraq responsible for the troop surge, briefed Congress about the “nefarious activities” of the Quds force in stirring violence in Iraq. There were a total of 923 civilian deaths in Iraq last month, the highest number since August 2007.
“We should all watch Iranian actions closely in the weeks and months ahead, as they will show the kind of relationship that Iran wishes to have with its neighbour,” Petraeus said.
Petraeus was nominated last week to take over as commander of all US forces in the Middle East from Admiral William Fallon, who resigned in March after becoming an outspoken critic of American policy towards Iran.
Petraeus has been asked to prepare a briefing on the extent of Iranian involvement in Iraq. It will include the recovery of weapons with date stamps showing that they were recently manufactured in Iran.
American officers claim that Iran is responsible for new, highly dangerous roadside bombs in Iraq and accuse Iranian-trained militants of responsibility for the deadliest rocket and mortar attacks on Baghdad’s green zone.
“The question is not if Iran is unhelpful in Iraq,” said Philip Crowley, a retired air force colonel and defence expert at the Center for American Progress in Washington. “The question is what to do about it.” Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, said last Monday that Iran is “hell-bent on acquiring nuclear weapons”. He added that war would be “disastrous” but the military option must remain on the table. However, a senior defence source said the administration regarded Iran’s nuclear programme and its interference in Iraq as separate problems, requiring different tactics and solutions.
Moqtada al-Sadr, the Iranian-backed radical Shi’ite cleric, called on his followers at Friday prayers to stop fighting Iraqi troops and unite against “the occupiers” – US troops.
Just do it then.....give them “Shock and Awe”
Iran Put On Notice That It Risks Military Response From US For Proxy War In Iraq
***********************EXCERPT**************************
Evidence must be mounting that Iranians are involved with the Madhi Army in a proxy war within Iraq because the tension is ratcheting up with no one backing down. The US, clearly fed up with Iranian weapons and trained fighters attacking American and Iraqi forces, apparently has put Tehran on notice of that a military response is in the works - a notice Tehran will probably not heed:
America’s top military officer has ratcheted up the pressure on Iran by issuing an unusual public warning that the Pentagon is planning for “potential military courses of action”.
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, blamed the Iranian government and Quds force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard for its “increasingly lethal and malign influence” in Iraq. He said conflict with Iran would be “extremely stressing” for America’s overstretched forces, but added: “It would be a mistake to think that we are out of combat capability.”
Mullen said he was increasingly concerned about Iran’s growing involvement in supplying munitions and training to rebel Shi’ite militias and “killing American and coalition soldiers in Iraq”.
I have made this point before, but it bears repeating. Iran can be bombed into oblivion and there is no need for our forces to occupy Iran or fund any rebuilding for their acts of war on the US and our ally Iraq. Iraq needed to be rebuilt because it was our decision to liberate it from Saddam Hussein. But self defense is a different matter than preemptive attacks. Iran has declared war on the US before, and now it has been caught red handed shipping weapons hot off the production line into Iraq in about the same time that we can ship new weapons from the US to Iraq. These are not smuggled weapons - they are being shipped as rapidly as possible.
As I suspected there is more evidence coming to the fore as US and Iraq forces roll up the Mahdi thugs. It seems Iraq has papers and maybe even some Iranians themselves as evidence of the Persian proxy war on its Arab neighbor:
Iraqi army spokesman Major General Qasim Atta told a news conference in Baghdad that 712 rockets and mortars had been fired in Baghdad in recent weeks, and claimed most of them were Iranian-made.
“We have found many Iranian-made weapons — Katyusha and Grad rockets, and smart roadside bombs and smart bombs. We have also seized some documents and identified some people,” Atta said, without elaborating.
…
US military spokesman Rear Admiral Patrick Driscoll said there was little doubt that most of those firing rockets in Sadr City had been trained in Iran.
“Anyone carrying a weapon that is provided (by Iran) or… is using (weapons) which are Iranian-based tend to be those who are trained in Iran on those weapons,” he told AFP.
“We know they are Special Groups when they run out to launch their rockets and mortars,” Driscoll said, adding that these groups generally comprise members of the Mahdi Army militia of hardline Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr who are ignoring his orders to lay down their arms.
“The Iranians continue to train Iraqis and finance their networks and over time that is going to build,” Driscoll told reporters.
More here on Iranian weapons in Iraq. If we respond militarily with Iran (and I think it is only a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if’) the evidence we have will come out in droves, and may be doing so right now. Iran and Sadr are ignoring all the peaceful exit ramps being offered - which tells me they want confrontation.
If it appears McCain will be defeated in November and if Iran continues to seek ways to create mayhem in Iraq, then .....
“Don’t keep doing what you’re doing, or we just might think about actually getting mad at you! You’re asking for it, I tell ya!”
He would not have said this publicly without prior approval. Something is happening behind the scenes and may come to fruition before the election.
The "war of words" is taking on a different tone...
I'm sick and tired of Iraq undermining our efforts...with their daily calls that they're going to destroy the U.S. and Israel. I could care less about the politically correct world they hide behind...we need to show them we mean business when it coems to saving our troops lives.
OMG, a warning. They must be shaking in Teheran.
Clear Iranian role in Baghdad violence: military
Link was from the article above.
Yep, we will send them a strong letter of condemnation, followed by a letter of protest … then we will get the U.N. involved.
Bomb the basta!!ds, ask questions later and apologize to the U.N. … better to apologize than ask permission.
It sure is and the Rats in Congress are going to be bouncing off the walls, let em bounce!
The Dems will want this war mostly wrapped up for them, so they can declare victory and withdraw to a couple of big bases in country.
***America’s top military officer has ratcheted up the pressure on Iran by issuing an unusual public warning that the Pentagon is planning for “potential military courses of action”. ***
If you are going to shoot, SHOOT! Don’t talk!-—Tuco Benito Pacifico Juan Maria Ramerez..AKA the Rat.
thanks Ernest. And, yes, g’night all. I plan to stay off here the rest of today (it’s already Monday here), we’ll see how that goes.
Clear Iranian role in Baghdad violence: military
AFP | April 27, 2008 12 hours ago | AFP
Posted on 04/27/2008 9:37:25 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007882/posts
I think the cure for Iranophobia is smart bombs. Thanks again, E.
Iran says U.S. shows “Iranophobia” over Iraq
Reuters | 20 Apr 2008 | Edmund Blair
Posted on 04/22/2008 8:40:01 AM PDT by forkinsocket
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2005238/posts
Uh uh.....
Bomb Tehran into dust, and tell the UN if they don’t like it that THEY’RE next!
War with Iran should have been fought several years ago when Iranian spec ops were in Iraq training anti US Shiite forces and planting new IED’s. It does not have to be an invasion but rather a US lead campaign of terror with Iraqi Sunni operatives bombing neighborhoods where the rich and corrupt mullahs of Iran live and shop. War with Iran may be similar to the Sopranos, except it would be done by warring states. I think this is a more effective way to hurt Iran short of an invasion or bombing campaign because the Iranian people though opposed to the mullahs will rally to their leaders out of patriotism. Furthermore our forces are already spread thin. Iran is cash strapped and for a few pennies they are able to harass US and Iraqi forces in Iraq. We can do the same to the mullahs.
Uh, unless Iran decides to invade Iraq...and it wouldn't be pretty to coalition ground forces.
It won’t take that long, this summer most likely. It will be all air and then border protection/containment from the air. The next president will have an angry yet devastated and contained Iran. Meanwhile the IDF destroys hizbulah and maybe syria? I don’t think syria is stupid enough to get into this round... will even give up hizbulah.
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