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US FIFTH FLEET: Disruptions In The Strait Of Hormuz Will Not Be Tolerated
Business Insider ^ | 12/28/2011 | Robert Johnson

Posted on 12/28/2011 8:16:18 AM PST by SeekAndFind

Iranian naval chief Habibollah Sayyari said Wednesday that "Closing the Strait of Hormuz for Iran's armed forces is really easy ... or as Iranians say it will be easier than drinking a glass of water."

Parisa Hafezi of Reuters reports Sayyari then topped this off by saying that while his forces could do this at any time, there was currently no need, as they control the Sea of Oman and therefore all shipping through the strait.

Iran's threats Tuesday to close the strait sent oil prices up close to 2%, but it won't last.

Oil analyst Thorbjoern bak Jensen, with Global Risk Management told Reuters, "The threat by Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz supported the oil market yesterday, but the effect is fading today as it will probably be empty threats as they cannot stop the flow for a longer period due to the amount of U.S. hardware in the area."

It's unclear what Sayyari meant by controlling the Sea of Oman, but for its part the U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet announced today that "Any disruption in the Strait of Hormuz will not be tolerated."

Based in Bahrain the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet fleet consists of an Aircraft Carrier Battle Group, an Amphibious Ready Group, surface combatants, submarines, maritime patrol and surveillance planes, and logistics ships.

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


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: china; fifthfleet; hormuz; iran; navair; navy; straitofhormuz
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1 posted on 12/28/2011 8:16:29 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Like to hear that said from the top but not holding my breath.


2 posted on 12/28/2011 8:17:44 AM PST by AU72
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To: SeekAndFind

Narrow shallow water


3 posted on 12/28/2011 8:23:00 AM PST by BenLurkin (This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both)
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To: SeekAndFind
All the Iranians need to do is launch a Silkworm or other truck-mobile anti-ship missile every few days. If this happens, insurers will declare the straits a war zone, cancel policies, and shipping stops.

They have thousands of anti-ship missiles spread over thousands of square miles, hidden in caves. We need to destroy every one of them to open the straits. Without “boots on the ground” covering all of the launch territory, this won't be easy.

As a comparison, to show the difficulty of destroying all of the mobile missiles, the Iraqis were launching SCUDs up until the very end of Desert Storm. And SCUDs are enormous rockets that must be erected to vertical, and filled with liquid fuel from tanker trucks before they can be fired. And with all of our assets, we were not able to prevent them from launching.

OTOH, the anti-ship missiles are smaller, solid fuel rockets, launched from near-horizontal from trucks. IOW, they take just a fraction of the time to pull out of a hidden cave and launch.

Anybody who thumps his chest and says, “The US Navy can keep the straits open, easy,” is a fool in my estimation. Not unless they have figured out a way to find and destroy thousands of mobile missile launchers spread over thousands of square miles of craggy cliffs and ravines surrounding the straits.

4 posted on 12/28/2011 8:24:19 AM PST by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: Travis McGee
Anybody who thumps his chest and says, “The US Navy can keep the straits open, easy,” is a fool in my estimation.

Especially considering who we have for a CiC.

5 posted on 12/28/2011 8:25:25 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: SeekAndFind
the U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet announced today that "Any disruption in the Strait of Hormuz will not be tolerated."

Until the muslim in chief says otherwise.

6 posted on 12/28/2011 8:26:32 AM PST by Graybeard58 (No Obama, No Romney, No Paul, No Huntsman. We can do better than that!)
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To: Travis McGee
Good information; thanks for sharing. That area of the world is very fragile.
I went to hear Rick Perry speak today and he talked about the Keystone Pipeline among other things.
Just gets my hackles up thinking that we have anyone opposed to this pipeline in light of the news from Iran.
7 posted on 12/28/2011 8:29:15 AM PST by HereInTheHeartland (I love how the FR spellchecker doesn't recognize the word "Obama")
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To: SeekAndFind

All that is needed is for a President with credibility (which means it won’t happen for a while) to state clearly and without any equivocation, “the day that Iran closes the Straits of Hormuz will be the day I authorize the cities of Tehran, Tabriz and Qom to join Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the history books. Don’t say you weren’t warned, you little Persian pricks.”


8 posted on 12/28/2011 8:30:12 AM PST by mkjessup (Jimmy Carter is the Skidmark in the panties of American history, 0bama is the yellow stain in front.)
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To: Travis McGee

Anyone who thinks the USA under any kind of rational leadership will simply allow Iran to close the Persian Gulf to tanker traffic by letting them launch a few missles every few days is a fool, in my opinion.

Hunting for Silkworm missiles one by one is not the only option available to bring pressure to bear on Iran.


9 posted on 12/28/2011 8:30:24 AM PST by rlmorel ("A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." Winston Churchill)
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To: SeekAndFind

The traitor in chief will find some way to hamstring the Navy, de-funding is top of the list.

Obama wants an oil starved America, his “green” commie friends are terribly anxious to get their grants.


10 posted on 12/28/2011 8:31:32 AM PST by Eye of Unk (Castigo Cay by Matt Bracken, check it out. And his other works.)
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To: Eye of Unk

You put your finger on the issue, of course. It isn’t that our military (and the military forces of other countries) could not exert enough force in the right places to keep the straits open, it is whether that is what our leadership wishes to do.

And that is not only NOT an open question, we already know what THEY want.


11 posted on 12/28/2011 8:34:14 AM PST by rlmorel ("A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." Winston Churchill)
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To: SeekAndFind
One attack and Iran should be leveled. Get rid of King Obama next term and make sure Newt is President and goodbye Iran.
12 posted on 12/28/2011 8:34:50 AM PST by Logical me
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To: HereInTheHeartland
Clarification, Perry of course is for the pipeline, like any conservative would be.
Perry was pointing out the current White House occupant being opposed to it.
13 posted on 12/28/2011 8:35:09 AM PST by HereInTheHeartland (I love how the FR spellchecker doesn't recognize the word "Obama")
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To: rlmorel

“Anyone who thinks the USA under any kind of rational leadership will simply allow Iran to close the Persian Gulf to tanker traffic by letting them launch a few missles every few days is a fool, in my opinion.”

What does “letting them” have to do with reality? The reality is they have thousands of truck mobile anti-ship missiles waiting in caves.

Do you have a magic plan for destroying them so they can’t be launched? Please let us know how that works.


14 posted on 12/28/2011 8:35:58 AM PST by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: rlmorel

Yeah, there are stern letters, then special font effects like bolding, capitalization, and large type to show how really angry we are. The Fifth Fleet steaming in a really intense and furious manner will surely bring them into line. Anything else would be unexpected from the current regime.


15 posted on 12/28/2011 8:38:23 AM PST by NonValueAdded ("At a time like this, we can't afford the luxury of thinking!")
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To: Travis McGee
Anybody who thumps his chest and says, “The US Navy can keep the straits open, easy,” is a fool in my estimation. Not unless they have figured out a way to find and destroy thousands of mobile missile launchers spread over thousands of square miles of craggy cliffs and ravines surrounding the straits.

Keeping the straits open could be done, by a President who really wanted to.

The first molestation of a ship in the straits would be answered by leveling the personal residences of Imadinnerjacket and each mullah in the ruling council. A statement would be made that any missile launched from Iranian territory would be answered by destroying something that the rulers would be upset to see destroyed. We would focus on the homes of the Basij, next.

16 posted on 12/28/2011 8:38:44 AM PST by PapaBear3625 (During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.)
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To: SeekAndFind

When Zer0 gets back from vacation the ‘not tolerated’ remark will be revised into ‘we’ll discuss it’.


17 posted on 12/28/2011 8:45:33 AM PST by Vinnie
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To: Travis McGee; SeekAndFind; AU72; BenLurkin; dfwgator; Graybeard58; HereInTheHeartland; mkjessup; ...
Anybody who thumps his chest and says, “The US Navy can keep the straits open, easy,” is a fool in my estimation.

Agreed. Almost all of the discussion seems pointed at how well the USN can defend against anti-shipping missiles and attacks from Iran on the USN.

The problem is that all the Iranians have to do is threaten the slow-moving unarmed tankers. Mine a few, sink or disable a few. Insurance is yanked, oil companies cease ops. If on ship is hit, companies will either be able to keep going at 100% or suspend ops for EVERYTHING.

The USN can only escort some % of shipping, and/or retaliate in escalation, something we are politically unprepared for.

Cutting the flow even a little will turn catastrophic for the West, they don't actually have to close it down.

18 posted on 12/28/2011 8:45:42 AM PST by sam_paine (X .................................)
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To: NonValueAdded
...then special font effects..

Zer0 likes to use WingDing when he's upset. :^)

19 posted on 12/28/2011 8:53:19 AM PST by Vinnie
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To: SeekAndFind

Fix is in deep! War with Iran in 2012, Americans expected to be “united” behind the Pres__ent, and the Republican nominee will tone down his politics.
Result? Four more years, if we can survive that long.


20 posted on 12/28/2011 8:54:48 AM PST by Lady Lucky
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