Posted on 02/12/2012 6:52:24 AM PST by Track9
Any good armchair general with a good search engine and time on their hands can figure out in a hurry that the song and dance about Iran being unable to close the Strait if Hormuz for long is just a plain crock. Worse than a crock. Yet, this big Orwellian lie persists, so once again I have to set the record straight. Iran has the capability of not only closing the Strait for some time, but creating a world of hurt for the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.
Iran possesses a build up of anti-ship weapons called Sunburn missiles, which it has procured from Russia and China over the last decade. These are top-notch weapons developed by the Russians as a low-cost challenge to the expensive, tech-heavy weaponry of the U.S., and specifically the aircraft carrier task force. A conflict, which I now assign a high probability to [see Scenario for an Israel Attack on Iran], is going to be a huge test of a global-naval doctrine that Russia and China will watch with tremendous interest. That’s why I think they have armed Iran to the teeth. The big question: How many of these weapons does Iran have? I would suggest thousands, and that this is the real show.
(Excerpt) Read more at articles.businessinsider.com ...
But yes, they can crow about closing an important waterway for a few days... as long as they don't mind the massive consequences, the regime change, and the reputation for bringing back the US Armed Forces into the region.
Assume the US knows where the missiles are.
That was about my reaction. Not likely Iranian threats would last to long.
Keep in mind we have the "negotiator" in chief who very well could try and talk them into opening it up again.
THAT could take a few years....
Sounds like the horse-hockey we heard about Hussein’s much-vaunted Republican guard.
The only difference between them and the ordinary grunt soldiers is that they surrendered in a more orderly fashion.
The enemy are always 11 foot tall supermen, according to gutless wonders like the author.
IF the Iranians decide to strike first, they might have a chance to get one of our surface ships. However, those ASCMs are on the priority target list, I would think, so in the event of hostilities, the Iranians would not get a shot off.
You’re right. We would not put high value assets in range. If they start hostilities, then the US Navy brings the A-game. They would come in with naval air and cruise missile strikes to take out every possible launch facility, storage facility, missile boats, missile boat bases, etc. You don’t try to shoot down hundreds of ASMs with your SAMs, you prevent those ASMs from ever getting launched.
We could always oppose Sunburn missiles with radiation burn missiles.
After Bandar Shapur and Qom are ashes will the missiles continue to guard the straight?
The missiles would not be the target. Qom and Bandar Shapur would be the targets.
The sanctions have put our foot on the economic lifeline of the crazy mullahs, our military are about an inch from their beards, Israel can never tolerate a nuclear armed Iran, China and Russia want American influence in the area to end, those big capital ships are operating not in blue water, those sailors and marines are in the narrow confines of the Persian Gulf which is not a good place for a naval fortress far from home,fortresses usually collapse when confronted with superior technology, our “allies” in the area really hate us, shooting will probably start in the spring, those anti ship missiles are lethal. Just hope Obama knows what he is doing.
http://www.n2yo.com/passes/?s=38075
Click all the boxes by the detail buttons.
This satellite is passing over the US several times a day.
And of course it is what our gubmint and their gubmint say it is.
Been doing this for two weeks now.
What I would like to know is who would be the biggest loser if the Straight was closed, the US or Iran. We can and do source oil from many areas, and are developing our own resources again. Plus oil use is significantly dipping right now. But Iran needs the Straight open for exporting their own oil. Do they have pipelines to export without accessing the Strait? If so, those are what we need to close when they close the Straight.
fortresses usually collapse when confronted with superior technology -
And who has the superior technology? Iran? Russia? China?
Just hope Obama knows what he is doing - WOW, that is too revealing!
RBMs, I like the ring and level glass they leave.
Why do you think Iraq will let us bring in tank divisions to fight Iran?
If there goal is to close the straits to merchant shipping, of course they can. All they need do is sink a single merchant ship. And do that from a portable shore-to-ship missile launcher. The kind you can transport on the back of a flatbed truck.
Iran could even do that in such a way as to make it a bit tough to ID who actually fired the missile.
No need to target the US Navy, just sink a merchant ship or two.
Then the straits would close. Because the insurance costs would be prohibitive for any ship to continue sailing there.
Now, would that be to Iran's advantage? That's another story.
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