Boat Show
More boats in the Gulf, intended to send a message. CBS:
A second American aircraft carrier steamed into the Persian Gulf on Tuesday as the Pentagon ordered military commanders to develop new options for attacking Iran. CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports that the planning is being driven by what one officer called the “increasingly hostile role” Iran is playing in Iraq – smuggling weapons into Iraq for use against American troops.
“What the Iranians are doing is killing American servicemen and -women inside Iraq,” said Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
U.S. officials are also concerned by Iranian harassment of U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf as well as Iran’s still growing nuclear program. New pictures of Iran’s uranium enrichment plant show the country’s defense minister in the background, as if deliberately mocking a recent finding by U.S. intelligence that Iran had ceased work on a nuclear weapon.
No attacks are imminent and the last thing the Pentagon wants is another war, but Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen has warned Iran not to assume the U.S. military can’t strike.
“I have reserve capability, in particular our Navy and our Air Force so it would be a mistake to think that we are out of combat capability,” Mullen said.
Targets would include everything from the plants where weapons are made to the headquarters of the organization known as the Quds Force which directs operations in Iraq. Later this week Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is expected to confront the Iranians with evidence of their meddling and demand a halt.
If that doesn’t produce results, the State Department has begun drafting an ultimatum that would tell the Iranians to knock it off – or else.
That’s nice. The Iranians have yet to experience “else,” however. Show of hands, who thinks they’ll be much impressed by yet another boat show and a pretty please?
A common misunderstanding, welcomed by Iran, is that we are too hyperextended between Iraq, Afghanistan and other obligations to invade Iran. The misunderstanding stems from the idea that we should want to invade Iran. As Mullen indicated the other day, we have plenty of Navy and Air Force capability available for the task of reducing Iran’s ability to make trouble. The destruction of military infrastructure and nuclear weapons facilities, and if the mullahs still want to make trouble, the destruction of other infrastructure that supports terrorism. Oil production facilities that finance it. Highways and bridges that are used for transport. That doesn’t mean there won’t be a reaction on the ground in Iraq. But forcing Iran’s hand there would not necessarily be the worst thing, either, and could lead to the resolution of a lot of unfinished business.
Javedanfar at Pajamas Media likes talk: Iran’s Most Powerful Weapon is Energy
A quick Crittenden Iran reader:
Popping the Question with Iran
The Large Pistachio Nuts of Iranian Foreign Policy
Topics: Iran
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 2:23 pm Comments (3) on Wednesday, April 30, 2008
3 Responses to “Boat Show”
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April 30th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Unfortunately, I think flattening Iran is what it’s going to take. They simply do not understand anything else.
April 30th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Diplomacy doesn’t work with these fellas. They don’t respect it because its a sign of weakness in their eyes.
Bullies don’t need a lecture from teacher, they need a slap in the chops. The US should slap Iran soon and when there is international outcry over it they should hit them again harder. Diplomacy only works with the threat of physical force and you’d be amazed how many people would want to sit around a discussion table when their ass is on the line.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Go NAVY!