Prepare Now for the Coming Middle East War

[American Patriot]

/chuckles

"Celestial Convergence Blog Spot"?

Come on.....

[American Patriot]

Your father didn't beat your ass that evening?

Mine would have, after my mother bitch-slapped me.

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!

[American Patriot]

My mother would say "Wait til your Father gets home." Which usually meant "Death" lol

If I pissed mom off, usually she had no qualms about knocking the shit out of me.

I learned not to piss mom off, and I RARELY heard the dreaded words "Wait til your Father gets home", if ever after once or twice.

[vector7]

Russia Again Warns West And Israel Not To Attack Iran

By Palash R. Ghosh: Subscribe to Palash's RSS feed
March 20, 2012 2:39 PM EDT

While much of the world’s attention has been focused on the relentless bloodshed in Syria, Russia brought another troubled Middle East nation back into the limelight Tuesday.



(Photo: Reuters)
Russian FM Lavrov

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov again warned Israel and the Western nations not to perpetrate an attack in Iran to thwart its nuclear program.

According to a report from Agence France-Press, Lavrov suggested that if Iran were indeed attacked she would have no recourse but to seek to build atomic weapons to prevent future military strikes.

"The CIA and other U.S. officials admit they now have no information about the Iranian leadership taking the political decision to produce nuclear weapons," Lavrov told Moscow's Kommersant FM radio on Tuesday.

"But I am almost certain that such a decision will surely be taken after [any] strikes on Iran. … Scientists of almost all nations ... agree that strikes against Iran can slow its nuclear program. But do away with it, close it, eliminate it? -- never."

Lavrov further warned that any provocative action against Iran would spark a wider conflict in the Middle East and perhaps even a deadly nuclear arms race among poorer nations.

"This [situation is] forcing a lot of Third World countries to pause and realize that if you have a nuclear bomb, no one will really bother you,” he said.

"You might get some light sanctions, but people will always coddle you, they will court you and try to convince you of things.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei similarly warned that the Islamic Republic would retaliate with equal force against Israel or the U.S. in the event of an attack.

“We do not possess a nuclear weapon and we will not build one, but we will defend ourselves against any aggression, whether by the U.S. or the Zionist regime, with the same level [of force],” Khamenei told a crowd of people in the city of Mashhad, while observing Nowruz, the Persian new year, according to his government's Press TV.

“[Arrogant global leaders], those in positions of power and wealth, and their agents in our region are trying to intimidate the Iranian nation with all their financial, propaganda and political resources,” Khamenei added.

As they have with Syria, Russia keeps close military and trading ties with the Iranians although they have lent mild support to Western sanctions against Iran.

Nonetheless, Lavrov also criticized Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for his persistently belligerent language against Israel.

"This is completely unacceptable ... and we categorically condemn it," Lavrov said. "It is simply uncivilized and unworthy of a country as ancient as Iran."

Lavrov also seemed to contradict himself when he raised an interesting facet regarding potential Iranian retaliation against Israel.

"I am absolutely convinced that Iran will never decide to do this, if only because ... a threat to destroy Israel will also destroy Palestine," he said.

[vector7]

Companion Threads:

• Missile Defense (General thread)
• Obama Administration Plans to Share Nuke Secrets with Russia
• Obama may give Russia secret data on Missile Sheild interceptors
• President Obama seeks Russia deal to slash nuclear weapons

Russian president orders military to prepare countermeasures against US missile shield


(RIA Novosti Kremlin, Mikhail Klimentyev, Presidential Press Service/Associated Press) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, right, speaks in the Grand Kremlin Palace during the summit of the Euro Asian Economic Union, a Russia dominated economic community, in Moscow on Monday, March 19, 2012. Deputy Prime Minister Vladislav Surkov sits at left.

By Associated Press, Updated: Tuesday, March 20, 6:16 AM AP

MOSCOW — The Russian military must prepare to counter U.S. missile defense plans in Europe even as talks between Moscow and Washington are ongoing, President Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday.

Medvedev told a meeting of Russia’s top military brass that the country “isn’t shutting the door to dialogue,” but nevertheless must get ready to take military countermeasures.

The U.S. says the NATO missile defense plan is aimed at deflecting potential missile threats from Iran, but Moscow fears that in the next few years it will grow powerful enough to undermine Russia’s nuclear deterrent.

“By 2017-2018 we must be fully prepared, fully armed,” Medvedev said in televised comments, referring to his earlier threat to aim missiles at the U.S.-led NATO missile shield if no agreement is reached.

NATO has said it wants to cooperate with Russia on the missile shield, but the alliance has rejected Russia’s proposal to run it jointly.

Without a NATO-Russia cooperation deal, Medvedev has sought guarantees from the U.S. that any future missile defense is not aimed at Russia and threatened to retaliate if no such deal is negotiated.

“Even though the talks are ongoing, we must get ready for a serious rearming of the armed forces so that we could be in a due shape and capable to respond to the missile defense in Europe,” Medvedev said.

Tensions over the system have strained ties between Moscow and Washington. They are expected to flare up again in May when Vladimir Putin heads to the United States shortly after being sworn in for his third presidential term.

Russian officials have voiced skepticism that Russia and the U.S. could reach an agreement in the short time left before the trip.

Putin hasn’t yet said whether he would participate in the NATO summit in Chicago beginning May 20 after attending the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations summit at Camp David. The alliance is expected to review its plans for the missile shield at the summit — a move likely to further vex Russia.

[American Patriot]

Utter bullshit:

According to a report from Agence France-Press, Lavrov suggested that if Iran were indeed attacked she would have no recourse but to seek to build atomic weapons to prevent future military strikes.

"No recourse" my ass. NOW they are simply admitting they are already doing it and "Fuck you world".

[vector7]

Iran’s Nuclear Attack Plan

By JR Nyquist03/19/2012

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Hugh Cort, author of The American Hiroshima: Iran’s Plan for an Attack on the United States.

Related to this interview, readers may listen to my interview with CIA agent Reza Kahlili, who agrees with Dr. Cort that a nuclear Iran cannot be deterred by the threat of Mutual Assured Destruction. According to Dr. Cort, “[D]eterrence will not work with the fanatical Islamic radicals that rule Iran. These rulers are like suicide bombers, who do not care if they die, as long as their victims get blown up as well.”

In his analysis of Islamist motivation, Dr. Cort follows the work of Reza Kahlili, who affirms that the leaders of the Islamic Republic believe in a ruthless ideology. “If you read [the] Koran, many verses talk about killing enemies of Allah and infidels,” Kahlili explained. “And there is no mercy, absolutely none, unless you convert to the religion. Nobody can say otherwise. Allah is a dictator…. Many Muslims will be offended, but many do not even know what the Koran says.”

Radical Islam is not afraid to use nuclear weapons against America, explains Dr. Cort: “The top newspaper in Iran, Kayhan, that is supervised by Supreme Leader Khamenei, said ‘If Iran is attacked, there are elements in America who will detonate nuclear bombs in American cities.’” Cort adds, “This may seem suicidal, but the Supreme Leader, Khamenei, the Iranian Mullahs and President Ahmadinejad, are religious fanatics, and to them it is glorious to die as martyrs for radical Islam…. Also, their fanatical views must be understood in the context of their belief in the coming of the ‘Mahdi.’”

Cort says the Islamic Republic has created the “Jerusalem Force.” This is one of Iran’s most secret paramilitary organizations. It is tasked with intelligence operations related to targeting the United States with nuclear and biological weapons. Some of the Jerusalem Force agents have been working undercover in the United States for more than a decade. “There is a strong possibility,” says Dr. Cort, “that Iran’s American Hiroshima will not only be a nuclear attack, but a chemical, biological, and [involve] assault troops…. In addition, there may also be an EMP attack. Iran has chemical weapons, and there is evidence Iran [has] biological weapons as well, including anthrax.”

The smuggling of WMDs into the United States is not original to Iran. During the Cold War, the Soviet KGB and GRU invented the whole idea (just as they invented airline hijacking). During the 1970s and 80s the Soviets prepared ways of smuggling nuclear and biological weapons into the United States (see GRU Colonel Stanislav Lunev’s Through the Eyes of the Enemy).

In 1998 Lunev explained that the chosen routes for smuggling WMDs into the U.S. would be those used by narcotics traffickers. According to Dr. Cort, Iranian agents are currently working with drug cartels in Mexico, digging tunnels under the border. Curiously, GRU defector Viktor Suvorov says (in his book Spetsnaz) that the Soviets conceived of organizing something called “Gray Terror,” in which the United States would be attacked by terrorists with no traceable connection to Moscow. These terrorists would be “mercenaries recruited by intermediaries,” wrote Suvorov, explaining that this terrorism would divert the intelligence and military resources of the West away from Russia, paving the way for successful Russian moves.

There is a great difference, however, between Iranian nuclear strategy and Russian nuclear strategy. Unlike the Iranians, the Russians thoroughly understand the principle of winning a nuclear war. Their idea is simple, and elegant. It is unwise to openly engage in a nuclear war with a nuclear power. Only a covert nuclear attack promises safety for the attacker. If nuclear bombs are detonated against American cities, it’s best if the Americans cannot identify the attacking country? Better yet, if the Americans misidentify the attacking country. In other words, imagine a group of radical Islamists who support international terrorism and are working to build a nuclear arsenal – raising fears, tensions, and oil prices.

Wouldn’t these radical Islamists stand accused in the event of a nuclear detonation against an American city? In light of this analysis, one might even call the Iranian regime a “nuclear lightning rod.”

I asked Dr. Cort about the support Iran receives from Russia, China and North Korea. He affirmed that these countries have been supporting Iran. I asked how we would know if a nuclear weapon detonated in America had been planted by Iranians, Russians, Chinese or North Koreans. Of course, explained Dr. Cort, Iranian official sources have publicly implied that they have such a capability and are preparing such an attack.

Are the Iranian leaders stupid, or merely crazy? Perhaps someone with greater strategic sophistication, and a real nuclear arsenal, has been using Iran as a cat’s paw. One strategy has been used, again and again through history. It is the strategy of playing two sides off against each other. Why would non-Islamic countries like Communist China, North Korea or Russia give support to Iran? Are they crazy? Whatever the answer to these and other questions, the threat from radical Islam is real. Whether this threat has been amplified by third parties or not, Dr. Cort’s book is important and deserves to be read. (A full audio version of my interview with Dr. Cort will be linked to this column in couple weeks.)

[American Patriot]

Maybe the title of this thread should change to:

"Prepare now for the Middle East War on American Soil"?

[vector7]

Iran flies thousands of pro-Palestinian activists to Syria. IDF fortifies borders

DEBKAfile Special Report March 27, 2012, 5:28 PM (GMT+02:00) Tags: Iran Syria Hizballah Palestinians riots IDF


IDF Golan border unit

Israel boosted its Syrian and Lebanese border units as special flights carrying thousands of pro-Palestinian activists from Tehran touched down in Damascus Tuesday, March 27 for the international Global March to Jerusalem Friday, March 30. Before taking off, they were split into small groups and tutored by Iranian Al Qods Brigades officers in tactics for breaching Israeli border barriers, bursting through and challenging the Israeli military forces defending the border.

On arrival in Damascus, one group of activists was sent by special bus to Lebanon, where Hizballah officers stood by to lead them to villages close to the Israeli frontier; a second is assigned to face Israeli lines on the Golan.

These anti-Israeli activists from several countries are being planted at strategic points to carry out the plan hatched together by Iran, Syria and Hizballah to ignite Israel’s two northern borders in solidarity with the annual Israeli-Arab Earth Day next Friday.

Earlier reports from Damascus that the demonstrators would keep the Quneitra sector of the Golan and the Lebanese Beaufort were meant to put the Israeli command off its stroke by disguising the real scope of their plans and their objective: a mass assault on Israeli borders. They are programmed to coincide with the outbreaks the Palestinian Authority is preparing for Jerusalem and the West Bank and Israeli-Arab disturbances inside Israel – all on the same day, as debkafile reported earlier Tuesday.

The Palestinian extremists of the Gaza Strip will certainly not stand aloof.

[vector7]

Army chief cancels IDF-wide Passover vacation

For first time in many years, all IDF units to be on full alert during Passover holiday; army officials insist decision not related to any planned military operations

Yossi Yehoshua

Published: 03.28.12, 17:18 / Israel News

Chief of Staff Benny Gantz has ordered all IDF units to cancel their traditional Passover breaks so that they can operate in full capacity over the upcoming holdiay, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Wednesday. The implication of the decision is that for the first time in many years, all IDF units will maintain their regular operations and remain on full alert throughout the holiday. Related stories: Op-ed: Israel isn't powerless IDF foils terror attack on Gaza border Pentagon wants more money for Israel's Iron Dome As result of the unexpected decision, thousands of soldiers at various IDF headquarters and bases will have to report for duty as usual in order to allow their units to operate with no interruption. No break for army - IDF tanks (Photo: AFP) IDF officials dismissed suggestions that the decision is related to operational circumstances or preparations for military maneuvers. The army said Chief of Staff Gantz made the call after asserting that he does not accept the notion of an army-wide Passover vacation. However, IDF soldiers who received the news Tuesday could not be convinced that the timing of the decision was arbitrary. Notably, German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere on Tuesday said that after meeting Israeli counterpart Ehud Barak, he was more concerned about the possibility of an Israeli strike on Iran. Over the years, an army-wide break during Passover became a tradition followed by all major military units, including the Air Force, Navy and intelligence corps. The IDF's headquarters in Tel Aviv is also traditionally deserted during the holiday. But as noted, the longtime tradition will be broken this year, as soldiers will have to divide their vacation days among themselves in order to ensure that their units maintain their full capacity to operate if needed.

[American Patriot]

The shitz is hitting the fanz

[vector7]

Turkish commander inspects troops on Syria border in surprise visit

Turkish Land Forces Commander Gen. Hayri Kıvrıkoğlu is seen during a visit to Siirt Governor in this file photo. (Photo: AA)

28 March 2012 / SERKAN SAĞLAM , HATAY

Land Forces Commander Gen. Hayri Kıvrıkoğlu on Wednesday traveled to the border province of Kilis to inspect Turkish troops.

Gen. Kıvrıkoğlu, accompanied by Gen. Servet Yörüklü, Second Army commander, visited a Syrian refugee camp in the town of Öncüpınar. They also had talks with Governor Yusuf Odabaş before he inspected Turkish troops along the border later in the day.

Kıvrıkoğlu and Yörüklü already visited a brigade in the İskenderun district of Hatay, also on the Syrian border, on Tuesday evening.

The generals' surprise visit comes after Turkey recently raised the possibility of establishing a buffer zone in the event of a massive influx of refugees from Syria, as well as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's talks in Tehran, which focused on the latest developments in Syria. Analysts say such a move is likely to lead to armed confrontations between Turkish and Syrian forces.
Turkey has bitterly criticized Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's brutal crackdown on anti-regime protests and said it would offer help to Syrians fleeing from violence.

In 1998 when tension was running high with Syria due to its support for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a bloody war in Turkey's southeast since 1984, former Land Forces Commander Gen. Atilla Ateş visited the Reyhanlı Border Command in the southern province of Hatay where he made harsh statements against Syria's policies.

Syrians caught trying to enter refugee camp with explosive belts

Turkish gendarmes on Tuesday detained three Syrians who were carrying explosives as they were trying to enter a tent city hosting nine generals who defected from the Syrian army.

The three Syrians attempted to enter the tent city near the village of Apaydın in the Altınözü district in the province of Hatay on Tuesday, telling gendarmes guarding the refugee camp that they were staying there with relatives. The three men, identified only as A.İ., S.M. and H.M., were instead taken to a gendarmerie station for questioning after gendarmes searched them and found the explosive belts.

An investigation is under way following the discovery of explosives. A subsequent search of the camp revealed that there were no other explosive devices inside the camp, but security was heightened in Syrian refugee camps across Hatay. Last week security personnel confiscated three grenades before they were smuggled into a refugee camp in Hatay's Reyhanlı district.

More than 17,000 Syrians have fled to Turkey to escape violence in their country. In addition to the refugees, Turkey has also emerged as the main haven for Syrian opposition groups and fighters.

[samizdat]

Passover in 2012 will start on Saturday, the 7th of April and will continue for 7 days until Friday, the 13th of April.

hmmm...that's about good friday thru Holy week.

[vector7]

The Russian Military Has an Action Plan Involving Georgia if Iran Is Attacked

Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 9 Issue: 68
April 5, 2012 04:12 PM Age: 14 min
By: Pavel Felgenhauer


Russian Bal-E anti-ship missile system (Source: pik.tv)

Russian Defense Ministry sources told the semiofficial news agency Interfax that action plans are being finalized to react to an armed conflict involving Iran and its nuclear program. The General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces “calculates” that military action against Iran will commence “in the summer” of 2012. Since Israel does not have sufficient assets to defeat Iranian defenses, the Russian military considers US military involvement inevitable (Interfax, March 30).

Bits of information have been appearing, indicating the essence of Russian military action. Last December it was disclosed that families of servicemen from the Russian base in Armenia have been evacuated to Russia, while the troops have been moved from the capital, Yerevan, north to Gumri – closer to the borders of Georgia and Turkey. The preparation of Russian forces in Armenia for action in the event of military conflict with Iran began “two years ago” (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, December 15).

After the short Russo-Georgian war in August 2008, break-away provinces Abkhazia and South Ossetia were occupied by Russian troops. Tbilisi in turn stopped military transit to the Russian troops in landlocked Armenia. There is only an air link to Russia, while fuel and other essentials reportedly come over the Iran-Armenia border. Moscow believes this border may be closed in the event of war. According to Lt. General (retired) Yury Netkachev – former deputy commander of Russian forces in Transcaucasia – “Possibly, it will be necessary to use military means to breach the Georgian transport blockade and establish transport corridors, leading into Armenia (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, December 15). The geography of the region implies that any such “corridor” may go through the Georgian capital of Tbilisi.

Large scale “strategic” military exercises Kavkaz-2012 are planned for next September, but it is reported that preparations and deployments of assets have begun already because of the threat of the possible war with Iran. New command and control equipment has been deployed in the region capable of using GLONASS (Russian GPS) targeting information. The air force in the South Military District (SMD) is reported to have been rearmed “almost 100 percent” with new jets and helicopters. In 2008, Kavkaz-2008 maneuvers allowed the Russian military to covertly deploy forces that successfully invaded Georgia (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, January 16).

Last September it was announced that sniper units will be created in all Russian army brigades. The first 1,300 newly trained snipers have been deployed in the SMD (RIA Novosti, January 16). SMD units in Abkhazia, Ossetia, Chechnya and Volgograd have been rearmed with new T-90A and T-72BM tanks and new armored vehicles. In 2010 and 2011, SMD units received more than 7,000 pieces of new heavy weapons and have been more than 70 percent rearmed (RIA Novosti, January 16). According to President Dmitry Medvedev, by 2011 the overall rearmament of the entire Russian military with new weapons was much less – 16 percent (www.kremlin.ru, March 20).

Last January the newly appointed commander of the 58th army that spearheaded the Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008, Major General Andrei Gurulev, announced: “The army is a front-line force that keeps the peace in the region and has been rearmed more than 60 percent” (www.newsru.com, January 28). After an inspection of the SMD by Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, it was announced that new Special Forces units will be deployed in Stavropol and Kislovodsk “to further strengthen the security of the region” (RIA Novosti, January 26). Stavropol and Kislovodsk are ethnic Russian-inhabited North Caucasian regions that have not seen much Islamist or separatist activity.

A new 120-kilometer range land-mobile guided anti-ship missile, Bal-E, has been deployed on the Caspian shore of Dagestan (Interfax, February 8). The Russian military believes that when the US goes to war with Iran, it may deploy forces in friendly Georgia and warships in the Caspian with the possible help of Azerbaijan. It is reported that in 2012 SMD forces will be 65 percent equipped with new communication devices, while the rest of the Russian military will have 26 percent (RIA Novosti, February 9). SMD units have received 20 new Tornado-G MRLS launchers (first procured in 2012) to replace the aging Grad MRLS. The Grad was massively used by the Russian troops against the Georgians in 2008. The 122-mm Tornado-G is reported to be “three times more effective than Grad,” with increased accuracy, firepower, mobility and a range of up to 100 kilometers (Interfax, April 3). The commander of the airborne troops (VDV), Lt. General Vladimir Shamanov, has announced the Russian troops in Armenia will be reinforced by paratroopers, possibly together with attack and transport helicopters. According to Netkachev, assault VDV units with helicopters may be moved into Abkhazia and South Ossetian (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, April 4).

The above stream of reports by official spokesmen and carried by government news agencies describes the forming of an offensive spearhead force in the SMD facing Transcaucasia. The force is too heavily armed with modern long-range weapons to be exclusively intended to take on the dispersed rebel guerrilla forces in Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia and Kabardino-Balkaria. This week, the Secretary of the Georgian National Security Council Giga Bokeria told radio Ekho Moskvi about the growing threat of a war with Russia (Ekho Moskvi, April 2).

In Tbilisi, the possible threat of a new Russian invasion is connected to the parliamentary elections scheduled for next October and possible disturbances that may accompany them. According to polls, the ruling party of President Mikheil Saakashvili seems to be poised for another landslide victory, while the opposition movement, organized by the Russian-based billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, seems to be failing to gather mass support.

Of course, Moscow would be glad to see the electoral defeat of Saakashvili, but the Iranian war is a much more important issue. The Russian spearhead may be ordered to strike south to prevent the presumed deployment of US bases in Transcaucasia, to link up with the troops in Armenia, and take over the South Caucasus energy corridor along which Azeri, Turkmen and, other Caspian natural gas and oil may reach European markets. By one swift military strike Russia may ensure control of all the Caucasus and the Caspian states that were its former realm, establishing a fiat accompli the West, too preoccupied with Iran, would not reverse. At the same time, a small victorious war would unite the Russian nation behind the Kremlin, allowing it to crush the remnants of the prodemocracy movement “for fair elections.” And as a final bonus, Russia’s military action could perhaps finally destroy the Saakashvili regime.

[American Patriot]

So... if I read this right, the Russians not ONLY have plans to involve themselves, they WILL actually attempt some kind of a preemptive strike:

The Russian spearhead may be ordered to strike south to prevent the presumed deployment of US bases in Transcaucasia, to link up with the troops in Armenia, and take over the South Caucasus energy corridor along which Azeri, Turkmen and, other Caspian natural gas and oil may reach European markets. By one swift military strike Russia may ensure control of all the Caucasus and the Caspian states that were its former realm, establishing a fiat accompli the West, too preoccupied with Iran, would not reverse.

in order to prevent US involvement in some manner, and also preventing the West (read: US) from stopping them from INTERFERING with a new Russian empire expansion....

At the same time, a small victorious war would unite the Russian nation behind the Kremlin, allowing it to crush the remnants of the prodemocracy movement “for fair elections.” And as a final bonus, Russia’s military action could perhaps finally destroy the Saakashvili regime.

[vector7]

• Published 08:26 08.04.12
• Latest update 08:26 08.04.12

U.S. to demand Iran immediately close Fordo nuclear facility

The New York Times reports that the Obama administration, European allies due to set demands for Iran nuclear talks, that include a halt in production of higher-level uranium enrichment.

By Reuters Tags: Iran Iran nuclear Barack Obama US
The United States and other Western nations plan to demand that Iran immediately close and ultimately dismantle a recently completed nuclear facility deep under a mountain as part of new talks with Tehran over its nuclear program, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

enrichment facility, a recently completed nuclear facility deep under a mountain, as part of new talks with Tehran over its nuclear program, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

	The Fordo nuclear facility under construction inside a mountain located about 20 miles north northeast of Qom, Iran.
	Photo by: AP

The diplomats told the Times that they could not imagine any agreement that left Iran with a stockpile of fuel, enriched to 20 percent purity, that could be converted to the grade needed to make an atomic bomb in a matter of months.

"We have no idea how the Iranians will react," a senior Obama administration official told the newspaper. "We probably won't know after the first meeting."

The opening talks are tentatively set for Friday.

In January, major powers signaled willingness to reopen the talks about curbing Iran's suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons but said Tehran must show it was serious about negotiations. Iran says its nuclear program is aimed solely at generating power.

On Friday, the Washington Post reported that U.S. President Barack Obama has recently passed a message to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which signaled that the United States would agree to an Iranian civilian nuclear program if they proved they were not developing a nuclear bomb.

According to David Ignatius, the Washington Post's senior columnist specializing in intelligence matters, Obama passed Khamenei the message through Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who visited Tehran this week.

The United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany are the six powers involved in diplomacy aimed at resolving the long-running row over Iran's atomic plans.

Russia and China recently joined the four Western powers in expressing "regret" over Iran's expansion of higher-grade enrichment, most of which is now taking place deep inside a mountain near the Shi'ite Muslim holy city of Qom to better protect it against Israeli or U.S. attacks.

The focus on diplomacy followed rising tensions between the West, which is seeking to cut Iran's oil sales, and Tehran, which threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz through which almost one-fifth of oil traded worldwide flows.

The United States has gradually tightened sanctions on Tehran due to its failure to answer questions about its nuclear program.

[vector7]

Another carrier arrives in region to bolster US Navy

Allan Jacob
7 April 2012



DUBAI - In a significant boost to US naval capabilities in the region as tensions with Iran continue over its disputed nuclear programme, a second carrier has joined the USS Abraham Lincoln in the 5th Fleet area of operations.

The USS Enterprise, the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and Carrier Strike Group 12 arrived in the region on April 3, officials confirmed to Khaleej Times late on Thursday.

The new strike group consists of the USS Enterprise, guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg, guided-missile destroyers USS Nitze, USS Porter and USS James E. Williams.

In reply to questions from Khaleej Times, Commander Amy Derrick-Frost of the US Naval Forces Central Command and 5th Fleet, said it was a routine deployment.

“The presence of two aircraft carriers fluctuates based on needs and requirements set by the combatant commander and approved by the Joint Staff and the Secretary of Defence, and ensures the US military has naval and air capabilities to support operations requirements, while adequately meeting other security commitments in the region.”

She said maritime operations were normal in the region and there was no sign of aggression from the Iranian navy. “All maritime interactions with Iranian naval forces continue to be routine and professional.”

Last month, Admiral Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations, had said that four more minesweepers and four more minesweeping helicopters would be sent to the Arabian Gulf. Iran had warned earlier this year that it would close the strategic Strait of Hormuz if attacked.

Commander Derrick-Frost said no additional minesweepers had deployed or arrived in the US Fifth Fleet area of operations.

Rear Admiral Walter E. Carter, Commander, Enterprise Carrier Strike Group, in a report on the US Navy’s official website said: “We’ve trained hard since our last deployment to the region making sure that the capabilities we bring remain flexible, adaptable and persistent.”

In the past ten years, there had been three periods of additional aircraft carrier presence within the US Central Command area ,as part of an increased military presence, said Commander Derrick-Frost. In March 2003 two carrier strike groups operated in the region simultaneously in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In February 2007, USS John C. Stennis joined USS Dwight D. Eisenhower to continue support to operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

In June 2010, aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman arrived to relieve USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.

This will be the final deployment for the Enterprise, America’s oldest active-duty warship. She will be decommissioned, after 50 years of naval service, said the navy
official.

US carrier strike groups are floating battle-ready units with awesome firepower and include a cruiser or destroyer squadron. They also have air wings with fighter jets.

[vector7]

USS Enterprise must obtain IRGC permission to enter Persian Gulf: report

TEHRAN, April 7 (MNA) – The U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise, which is heading for the Persian Gulf, will have to answer the questions of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) at the “Sepah station” to obtain permission to enter the sea, the Persian service of the Fars News Agency reported on Saturday.

According to the report, the IRGC Naval Force is tasked with monitoring the movement of foreign vessels in the Persian Gulf and all the vessels which want to pass through the Strait of Hormuz must report to the “Sepah station” on the sea. The USS Enterprise set sail on its final voyage on March 12, heading for the Persian Gulf. The U.S. oldest active-duty warship will be on standby in case of conflict with Iran, CNN reported. “Enterprise is as ready and capable as she has ever been throughout her 50 years,” Capt. William C. Hamilton, the ship’s commanding officer, said in a statement. The carrier, which holds a crew of over 4,000, has taken part in several wars. It will be deployed in the Persian Gulf together with other warships, forming a carrier strike group.

[American Patriot]

Navy Deploys 2nd Aircraft Carrier to Gulf

Add a Comment

April 09, 2012
Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - - The U.S. Navy says it has deployed a second aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf amid rising tensions with Iran over its nuclear program.
Cmdr. Amy Derrick-Frost of the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet said on Monday that the deployment of the nuclear-powered USS Enterprise along with the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group marks only the fourth time in the past decade that the Navy has had two aircraft carriers operating at the same time in the region.


Derrick-Frost says the two carriers will support the American military operations in Afghanistan and anti-piracy efforts off Somalia's coast and in the Gulf of Aden.
The ships will also patrol the Gulf's strategic oil routes that Iran has threatened to shut down in retaliation for economic sanctions.

[American Patriot]

This is a routine build up...

/chuckles