With tensions around the Strait of Hormuz sky-high, Iranian plans to conduct the country's "greatest naval war games” could coincide with joint US-Israeli exercises in the Persian Gulf. With both sides taking positions, could a real battle be looming?
Hopefully the massive exercises will remain just that. But with three armies on the playing board, one spark could be enough to ignite an all-out war.
Iran, which recently held a 10-day naval exercise near the Strait of Hormuz to demonstrate its military prowess, is now planning new, ‘massive’ naval drills codenamed The Great Prophet.
The drills will be carried out by the country’s elite Revolutionary Guard, which has its own air, naval and ground forces separate from those of the regular military.
On Thursday, the semiofficial Fars news agency quoted the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's naval commander, Admiral Ali Fadavi, as saying the next round of war games would be "different" from previous ones, AP reports.
However, on the same day, an Israeli military spokesman speaking under condition of anonymity said his country was gearing up for the largest joint missile defense exercise ever held with the United States.
The drill, called "Austere Challenge 12," is scheduled to take place in the upcoming weeks. Its primary purpose is to test multiple Israeli and US air defense systems, especially the “Arrow” system, which the country specifically developed with help from the US to intercept Iranian missiles.
Perhaps more alarmingly to the Iranian leadership, thousands of US troops will be deployed to Israel in support of the drill.
While the Israeli military claims the latest exercises are unconnected with recent events, Martin Van Creveld, a military historian at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said the drill would be used to gain leverage over Iran.
"Defending against an attack is not something that you improvise from today to tomorrow. It's something you have to prepare, you have to rehearse… This, among other things, is an exercise to show Iran, the people in Tehran, that Israel and the United States are ready to counterattack," AP cites him as saying.
But Jamal Abdi of the National Iranian American Council in Washington told RT the actions of America and Israel are not merely preventative.
“We’re getting closer and closer to war with Iran. Anybody who argues that this extraordinary confluence of events – the planned exercises by the US and Israel, the exercises that Iran was doing in the Persian Gulf, we have sanctions in place with no diplomacy – the only way that that ends is through confrontation,” he said.
Hopefully the massive exercises will remain just that. But with three armies on the playing board, one spark could be enough to ignite an all-out war.
Iran, which recently held a 10-day naval exercise near the Strait of Hormuz to demonstrate its military prowess, is now planning new, ‘massive’ naval drills codenamed The Great Prophet.
The drills will be carried out by the country’s elite Revolutionary Guard, which has its own air, naval and ground forces separate from those of the regular military.
On Thursday, the semiofficial Fars news agency quoted the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's naval commander, Admiral Ali Fadavi, as saying the next round of war games would be "different" from previous ones, AP reports.
However, on the same day, an Israeli military spokesman speaking under condition of anonymity said his country was gearing up for the largest joint missile defense exercise ever held with the United States.
The drill, called "Austere Challenge 12," is scheduled to take place in the upcoming weeks. Its primary purpose is to test multiple Israeli and US air defense systems, especially the “Arrow” system, which the country specifically developed with help from the US to intercept Iranian missiles.
Perhaps more alarmingly to the Iranian leadership, thousands of US troops will be deployed to Israel in support of the drill.
While the Israeli military claims the latest exercises are unconnected with recent events, Martin Van Creveld, a military historian at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said the drill would be used to gain leverage over Iran.
"Defending against an attack is not something that you improvise from today to tomorrow. It's something you have to prepare, you have to rehearse… This, among other things, is an exercise to show Iran, the people in Tehran, that Israel and the United States are ready to counterattack," AP cites him as saying.
But Jamal Abdi of the National Iranian American Council in Washington told RT the actions of America and Israel are not merely preventative.
“We’re getting closer and closer to war with Iran. Anybody who argues that this extraordinary confluence of events – the planned exercises by the US and Israel, the exercises that Iran was doing in the Persian Gulf, we have sanctions in place with no diplomacy – the only way that that ends is through confrontation,” he said.
(ALSO)
UK sending warship to Persian Gulf amid Strait closure fears
UK sending warship to Persian Gulf amid Strait closure fears
The United Kingdom said Saturday it plans to send a warship to the Persian Gulf, a move that follows Western criticism of Iranian threats to close the Strait of Hormuz.
The UK Ministry of Defense described the deployment of the HMS Daring as "long-planned" and "entirely routine." The destroyer will replace a frigate stationed in the area, it said.
Still, in the past two weeks both U.S. and British defense officials have denounced any move by Iran to close the strait, the only outlet from the Persian Gulf and a key trade route for oil.
Iran threatened in late December to block the strait if sanctions were imposed on its oil exports. France, Britain, and Germany have all proposed such sanctions to punish Iran for lack of cooperation on its nuclear program.
The strait is a critical shipping lane, through which 17 million barrels of oil passed per day in 2011, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency.
Rear Adm. Ali Fadavi, of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said last month the world could not last 24 hours without Persian Gulf oil, and that Iran is capable of closing the strait.
"Today, out of the 1,300 billion barrels of oil in the world, 800 billion barrels are in the Persian Gulf," Fadavi told Iran's Press TV.
The U.S. Navy said the threat to block the strait is unacceptable, as the flow of goods and services is vital not only to the region but to the world.
"Anyone who threatens to disrupt freedom of navigation in an international strait is clearly outside the community of nations; any disruption will not be tolerated," Cmdr. Amy Derrick Frost, spokeswoman for the U.S. 5th Fleet based in Bahrain, said at the time.
Earlier this week, Britain's secretary of state for defense, Philip Hammond, warned that any Iranian attempt to close the strait would be illegal and unsuccessful.
"Disruption to the flow of oil through Straits of Hormuz would threaten regional and global economic growth," Hammond said in a speech in Washington on Thursday.
State media said Friday that Iran plans to conduct military drills in the strait in February under the name "The Great Prophet."
An IRGC commander told Press TV the drills would be different from previous ones, though just how wasn't clear.
Iran launched a 10-day drill in the strait in late December.
Physically closing the strait would require means that likely are not available to Iran, said Professor Jean-Paul Rodrigue of Hofstra University.
"At best, Iran can posture and potentially disrupt traffic for a short duration," said Rodrigue, who specializes in global trade and maritime transportation issues.
Frost said Navy "maintains a robust presence in the region to deter or counter destabilizing activities," and works to allow commercial shipping to operate freely.
(PLUS)
The UK Ministry of Defense described the deployment of the HMS Daring as "long-planned" and "entirely routine." The destroyer will replace a frigate stationed in the area, it said.
Still, in the past two weeks both U.S. and British defense officials have denounced any move by Iran to close the strait, the only outlet from the Persian Gulf and a key trade route for oil.
Iran threatened in late December to block the strait if sanctions were imposed on its oil exports. France, Britain, and Germany have all proposed such sanctions to punish Iran for lack of cooperation on its nuclear program.
The strait is a critical shipping lane, through which 17 million barrels of oil passed per day in 2011, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency.
Rear Adm. Ali Fadavi, of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said last month the world could not last 24 hours without Persian Gulf oil, and that Iran is capable of closing the strait.
"Today, out of the 1,300 billion barrels of oil in the world, 800 billion barrels are in the Persian Gulf," Fadavi told Iran's Press TV.
The U.S. Navy said the threat to block the strait is unacceptable, as the flow of goods and services is vital not only to the region but to the world.
"Anyone who threatens to disrupt freedom of navigation in an international strait is clearly outside the community of nations; any disruption will not be tolerated," Cmdr. Amy Derrick Frost, spokeswoman for the U.S. 5th Fleet based in Bahrain, said at the time.
Earlier this week, Britain's secretary of state for defense, Philip Hammond, warned that any Iranian attempt to close the strait would be illegal and unsuccessful.
"Disruption to the flow of oil through Straits of Hormuz would threaten regional and global economic growth," Hammond said in a speech in Washington on Thursday.
State media said Friday that Iran plans to conduct military drills in the strait in February under the name "The Great Prophet."
An IRGC commander told Press TV the drills would be different from previous ones, though just how wasn't clear.
Iran launched a 10-day drill in the strait in late December.
Physically closing the strait would require means that likely are not available to Iran, said Professor Jean-Paul Rodrigue of Hofstra University.
"At best, Iran can posture and potentially disrupt traffic for a short duration," said Rodrigue, who specializes in global trade and maritime transportation issues.
Frost said Navy "maintains a robust presence in the region to deter or counter destabilizing activities," and works to allow commercial shipping to operate freely.
(PLUS)
Chinese News Agency Warns Against U.S. Moves
SHANGHAI — China’s state-run news media warned Washington on Friday not to “recklessly practice militarism” or engage in “war mongering,” a day after the Obama administration outlined a new military strategy with an increased focus on China.
The sharply worded commentary, published by the official Xinhua News Agency, also urged the United States to play a constructive role in the region.
President Obama introduced a new defense strategy on Thursday, aimed at creating a leaner, more dynamic American fighting force with an enlarged presence in Asia and the Pacific.
Although the administration is seeking to trim hundreds of billions of dollars from the Pentagon budget, the president and Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta have said the United States will shift resources to the region because of its growing economic and military significance.
The United States had signaled its intention to bolster its military presence in Asia last month, and analysts say that has heightened concerns here that Washington is trying to counter China’s rise.
Relations between the United States and China have often been strained over military issues, including the American decision to continue to sell weapons to Taiwan, which Beijing views as a breakaway province.
China has rapidly expanded its military in the past year, and plans to spend aggressively in the hopes of creating a military that can match the country’s growing economic might. Last week, China announced ambitious plans to expand its space program and put a person on the moon in the next five years.
That move comes as the American space program is slimming down.
China has also begun releasing information about its own advanced weapons and technology, including its first aircraft carrier and a stealth fighter jet.
A spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry could not be reached for comment late Friday.
The Xinhua commentary, published under the byline Yu Zhixiao, does not represent China’s official position on the Obama administration’s new defense strategy. But because Xinhua is the official propaganda arm of the Communist Party, its editorials often mirror Beijing’s positions.
The commentary seemed to echo earlier statements by Chinese military officials.
“The U.S. role, if fulfilled with a positive attitude and free from a cold war-style zero-sum mentality, will not only be conducive to regional stability and prosperity, but be good for China, which needs a peaceful environment to continue its economic development,” the commentary said.
“However, while boosting its military presence in the Asia-Pacific, the United States should abstain from flexing its muscles, as this won’t help solve regional disputes.”
Joe 3:9 ¶ Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:
Joe 3:10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I [am] strong.
Joe 3:11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD.
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