Originally appeared at ZeroHedge
Days after Iran unveiled its first stealth destroyer in a televised ceremony on Saturday which saw the warship launched into operation in the Persian Gulf, and after the US condemned Iran’s test firing a medium-range nuclear capable ballistic missile on Sunday, Pentagon officials have announced the U.S. is sending an aircraft carrier strike group to the Persian Gulf in a show of force against Iran.
US officials told the Wall Street Journal the USS John C. Stennis and support ships will arrive in the Middle East “within days” — which will bring a close what’s been described as the longest period in two decades that a carrier group was absent from the region. Specifically the unnamed officials identified the purpose as to “exhibit a show of force against Iran” at a moment tensions are soaring after Nov. 4 renewed sanctions targeting Iran’s energy sector. The White House has vowed that it will work with international allies to reduce Iran’s oil exports to zero in continuing economic warfare that could easily spark direct military confrontation.
USS John C. Stennis nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, via Defence Blog
The Stennis is scheduled to remain in the region for about two months, the officials said, spending most of that time in the Persian Gulf. Its presence “certainly provides a deterrence” against any potentially hostile Iranian activity in the region’s waters, one of the officials said.
Responding to the unprecedented sanctions regimen after President Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 JCPOA, Iran’s military leadership has over the past months issued a counter threat of blockading the vital Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, which would strangle global oil shipping. The US carrier presence inches the world closer to witnessing a major flare up in the gulf which could send the price of oil soaring.
In early November, for example, a prominent hardline cleric told a Friday prayer gathering in Mashhad, considered Iran’s spiritual capital, that Iran has the power to “instantly” create conditions for $400 a barrel oil prices if it decides to act in the Persian Gulf.
Shia cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhoda grabbed headlines at the time by declaring, “If Iran decides, a single drop of this region’s oil will not be exported and in 90 minutes all Persian Gulf countries will be destroyed.”
It appears the presence of the USS John C. Stennis is designed to prevent such a possibility from happening. Officials also said the carrier group will support the US war in Afghanistan as well as operations against remnant ISIS pockets in Iraq and Syria. But despite current tensions with Iran, Pentagon officials have underscored that the carrier mission was previously scheduled, while also touting its Iranian deterrent mission.
In recent comments over Iran’s developing ballistic missile program, the State Department’s special representative on Iran, Brian Hook, said the “military option” is on the table.
“We have been very clear with the Iranian regime that we will not hesitate to use military force when our interests are threatened. I think they understand that. I think they understand that very clearly,” Hook said late last week.
“I think right now, while we have the military option on the table, our preference is to use all of the tools that are at our disposal diplomatically,” he added.
Vice Adm. of the U.S. 5th fleet in the Persian Gulf commits suicide https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/dec/2/scott-stearney-death-likely-suicide-reports/ I wonder if one of the reasons is that he got tired of the lies, especially supporting the starvation blockade of Yemen … “U.S. naval operations in the Arabian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.”
Oh, and even calling it the ‘Arabian Gulf’. Think of how many lies he had to tell on a regular basis. Dimwits like Nikki Haley don’t realize they are lying, people with marginal intelligence and more, know better.
the shipping magazine Fairplay tried to rename the gulf Irabian Gulf, but with little success. So I guess it’s better to stick to the tried and tested Persian Gulf. It’s probably a serious irritant to MbS and if that is the case, also to the white house morons, like trumpelidump and fatso and the rest of the headcases!
Clearly this was written by an american. First paragaph…nuclear capable missile.
Thats a lie on so many levels it irks me.
1 iran has a fatwa from Khamenei forbidding nuclear weapons. I am not from Iran, but from what I see, the big boss says no nuclear weapons…that means no nuclear weapons.
2 nuclear capable missile implies miniaturisation of said nuclear warhead. How is this possible if Iran dont have nuclear weapons to begin with?
3 nuclear weapons i feel a more an offensive weapon. When has contemporary iran invaded?never…nuke as a defensive weapon makes no sense, contaminate your lands for eternity…?? Would Iran be so stupid? Never.
My thoughts on this.
Cheers
Absolutely agree here.. Iran does NOT have any nuclear weapons… This is the fear mongering being done by the Jew spew media once again to put forward more falsehoods against Iran.
We don’t exactly know did that admiral killed himself or was killed. Any situation confirms US military is full of instable personnel and relations Trump promised he will solve the situation with Iran, but I am not sure he can win any kind of conflict with Iran. They will certainly not get afraid because of US carrier near their coast and do what Trump wants.
“Over my dead body!” Famous last words…..
well well, the disunited states of A is out actively looking for war, although they need someone else to start it. Iran won’t be a walk in the park for the neofascist in washinton dc, and the situation may just turn out to be where the deep state finally will perish and can be buried deep deep. On the other hand, Russia would do the world a great favour if they loaded up a bunch of ICBMs in the Caspian Sea and unloaded them on tel aviv, haifa in a manner so that the place can be returned to the rightful owners – the Palestinians. Join Boycott, Divest and Sanction movement now?
This is a desperate move, the US can’t afford to deploy a carrier task force. They can’t even afford to feed their troops, they make the occupied nation pay the costs.
To demonstrate how desperate the Americans are, they are now trying to borrow $70 billion, for 1 and 2 months. When countries start needing payday loans you know they are cactus. If you have American shares bonds or dollars, sell them whilst you still can.
And what kind of “provocation” will Iran actually do? It seems that the only ones bent on a real provocation that could potentially lead to war is the US itself!
Iranians are probably laughing at the yanki’s stupidity. All they are doing is bringing their ships to within range of Iran’s missiles, and in process saving Iranians the trouble of going looking for them should a war break out.
the russian need ,send a lot of s300 ,sukoi,s to iran .fuck you usa