U.S. Planning "Major Build-up" of Naval Forces in the Persian Gulf as Warning to Iran

[FranG]

Ya'll ready for this? Wasn't a major build-up of military forces a prelude to the Iraq War? When the Bush Administratrion kept telling the world that it meant nothing and they were gonna fully cooperate with weapons inspectors. Here's the news report from Raw Story (http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Report_Pentagon_planning_Navy_buildup_as_1219.html) (originally reported by CBS)

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Report: Pentagon planning Navy buildup as 'warning to Iran'

Mike Sheehan
Published: Tuesday December 19, 2006

The U.S. military is "planning a major buildup" of its naval forces in the Persian Gulf region "as a warning to Iran," reports CBS News, as quoted by Reuters.

A senior official in the Department of Defense said "the report was 'premature' and appeared to be drawing 'conclusions from assumptions,'" according to Reuters. The Pentagon declined comment, but an additional Defense official described the report as "speculative."

CBS said that "the buildup ... was not aimed at an attack on Iran but to discourage what U.S. officials view as increasingly provocative acts by Tehran."

The buildup will reportedly begin in January. Should it occur, it would validate earlier speculation (at RAW STORY and elsewhere) that the Bush administration could use the might of the U.S. military to stymie Iran's nuclear aspirations.

RAW's Larisa Alexandrovna reported last September that "a military intelligence official described ... the movement of Naval submarines and a deployment order sent out to Naval assets of strategic import, such as minesweepers, that could indicate contingency planning is already under way to secure oil transport routes and supplies."

The CBS News video regarding the report can be viewed here (http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=2279916n). (Note: An ad precedes the report.) The Reuters alert can be read here (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N18217613.htm).

[geniusndisguise]

It's all a conspiracy between the middle east and Bush to get the American public to vote for conservative domestic policy anyway... :joft:

[immortalmack]

If this is true then it for making sure they are not denied access to the gulf to keep shipments safe. It's necessary.

[slacker]

They've been "building up" for a long time now... it's not much of a surprise if the news media keeps "picking it up" as a story, so I think it must be disinformation...

http://forums.intpcentral.com/showthread.php?t=15220

[ptGatsby]

Bleh...

White Knight to C3.

Protect and influence.

[Ferrus]

Do you think the Democratic congress will allow Bush to make war on Iran should he desire? He might try to cloak it in 'national interest', 'bipartisan spirit' - but then didn't Republicans block Clintons moves for war in Kosovo?

[C.J.Woolf]

The President can wage a "little" war without Congress's approval, though invoking the War Powers Act might slow him down some.

[FranG]

Bleh...

White Knight to C3.

Protect and influence.

Exactly.


Do you think the Democratic congress will allow Bush to make war on Iran should he desire? He might try to cloak it in 'national interest', 'bipartisan spirit' - but then didn't Republicans block Clintons moves for war in Kosovo?

If they can profit from it they will. Democrats and Republicans are one in the same. Politics is all a dog and pony show or a classic game of "good cop bad cop". The means may be different but the end result always the same. Once you understand their motives, a lot of ambiguity is alleviated. Our economy depends on war with Iran (or some other oil producing country). Our government just need to figure out how to sell the American sheeple on this war. So far our government has failed because Ahmadinejad has strategically avoided being baited into war.

Also, for those still polarized over left and right, it should be noted that the Republicans control the electronic voting machines. So the Democrats control nothing right now.