Closing the Straits of Hormuz is easier than drinking a glass of water...

[zanejohnson]

Riiiiight.

Trying to stop a nuclear arms race in the Middle East is "no real reason".

Fern

see this is so hypocritical...why do WE have any right to say theu cant have nuclear arms? thats just like us taking out foreign leaders we dont like...no right... its called sovereignity...the dog in the corner analogy is spot on....or say raising a child...your ultra strict, dictate there lives...there just gonna get sneaky and and do what they want without you knowing....what im afraid is going on here is that iran actually already hhas a nuke or is very close and there taunting the bully..us..and we bomb tehran...its gonna like pearl harbor all over again except we're japan this time

 

[JTsyo]

If the Navy is escorting the tankers they have the ability to neutralize incoming weapons as well as firing on the point of attack.

They are not escorting now though. They did when Iran tried this back during the Iran/Iraq war.

 

[EagleKeeper]

They are not escorting now though. They did when Iran tried this back during the Iran/Iraq war.

Couple of add-ons.

1) The Navy learned from mistakes in that conflict in how to operate in shallow waters and perform mine sweeping operations.

2) Launch sites (rocket & missile), naval facilities (surface & subsurface) are already targeted. Iran would have to send everything at once to prevent a retaliation from destroying what is not used. And those facilities will become unusable afterwards.

 

[Craig234]

Just think, if we had an aggressive campaign to increase our domestic oil production we could in relative short order get off of ME oil and we wouldn't need all of those .mil assets in the area anymore.

You don't think we are there because we like them or something do you?

Energy independence is a nice goal, Mr. Carter. It's not all about 'aggressively increasing domestic production' though, code for 'screw the environment for profit'.

 

[yllus]

If the Navy is escorting the tankers they have the ability to neutralize incoming weapons as well as firing on the point of attack.

How worried are we about the Bavar 2 and other small, fast boats Iran would use to carry out kamikaze attacks against oil tankers and foreign warships? They look comical, but with a bit of explosive on board....

 

[EagleKeeper]

Energy independence is a nice goal, Mr. Carter. It's not all about 'aggressively increasing domestic production' though, code for 'screw the environment for profit'.

Unless you aggressively try for independence you will fail because of the current demand.

 

[Jaskalas]

It's a double edged sword. Closing the strait would...

Let me stop you right there. Screwing with the world's oil supply with be immediate suicide. We'd declare war over that.

 

[Jaskalas]

see this is so hypocritical...why do WE have any right to say theu cant have nuclear arms?

Hypocritical comes with the territory of trying to avert nuclear winter.

 

[Karl Agathon]

How worried are we about the Bavar 2 and other small, fast boats Iran would use to carry out kamikaze attacks against oil tankers and foreign warships? They look comical, but with a bit of explosive on board....

From the looks of it, im guessing with explosives on board, they could cause some damage. Not nearly as much damage as the US Navy would put on the entire Iranian navy though. I dont think there would be much of an Iranian navy left after a few days.

 

[Craig234]

Hypocritical comes with the territory of trying to avert nuclear winter.

No, it doesn't.

Nothing prevents our pursuing the abolition of all nuclear weapons, including ours.

 

[Lemon law]

Let me stop you right there. Screwing with the world's oil supply with be immediate suicide. We'd declare war over that.

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But will that be a war the USA would win? As Iran has the military capacity to block the Persian gulf for a very long time. Oil tankers are too big and vulnerable for even the US navy to protect.

As every nation on earth would blame the USA arrogance for causing the economic damage to every country on earth.

Even if the USA persists in its demands for a draconian economic embargo of Iran, I suspect the rest of the world will reconsider supporting a senseless embargo of Iran.

After all, if the USA demands every nation to support only US demands, after Iran, what other nation on earth will be next to be enslaved?

 

[Nebor]

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But will that be a war the USA would win? As Iran has the military capacity to block the Persian gulf for a very long time. Oil tankers are too big and vulnerable for even the US navy to protect.

As every nation on earth would blame the USA arrogance for causing the economic damage to every country on earth.

Even if the USA persists in its demands for a draconian economic embargo of Iran, I suspect the rest of the world will reconsider supporting a senseless embargo of Iran.

After all, if the USA demands every nation to support only US demands, after Iran, what other nation on earth will be next to be enslaved?

Iran didn't start getting all saber rattly until the UK, France and Germany all endorsed the embargo too, so you can cut out this "rest of the world" baloney.

The US Navy can protect supertankers. They can prevent missiles, artillery and torpedoes from hitting their targets. 1 USN air defense ship can simultaneously engage 500 incoming projectiles. And we have more than 1. :biggrin:

And Iran doesn't have the military capacity to block the Persian gulf for a very long time, because shortly after they attempt to do so, there won't be an Iran anymore. They'll be regime changed Afghanistan style.

I told you weeks ago that the US Army is keeping 20,000 troops and a division's worth of tanks on standby in Kuwait, and that we were initiating a surge of troops to Western Afghanistan. Search the news for stories about Western Afghanistan... Insurgency? Border war? No. You won't find any, because things have always been quiet on the Western front.

 

[OutHouse]

why do WE have any right to say theu cant have nuclear arms? thats just like us taking out foreign leaders we dont like

sorry but the last thing that the people of this plant needs is some nut job like Ahmadinejad and others of his ilk like chavez to have nukes.

 

[OutHouse]

We're doing something about Israel having nukes? Great, I missed it, link please.

nothing, we give them the nukes to keep the crazy arabs in check.

 

[OutHouse]

Stirring the pot to push oil prices up again? Been awhile since we had reliable 100+ dollar a barrel.

actually price per barrel went down despite all of Irans bullshit talk, but as of now its up .12 cents to 99.78.

 

[tommo123]

nothing, we give them the nukes to keep the crazy arabs in check.

no you didn't, they wanted them and the US tried to stop em, sending inspectors etc to research their facilities. they fooled you

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negev_Nuclear_Research_Center

The Dimona reactor became active some time between 1962 and 1964, and with the plutonium produced there the Israel Defense Forces most probably had their first nuclear weapons ready before the Six-Day War.

When the United States intelligence community discovered the purpose of the site in the early 1960s, the U.S. government demanded that Israel agree to international inspections. Israel agreed, but on the condition that U.S., rather than International Atomic Energy Agency, inspectors be used, and that Israel would receive advance notice of all inspections. Israel is one of only three nations thought to possess nuclear weapons never to have signed the NPT ( others are India and Pakistan ).

 

[Orignal Earl]

nothing, we give them the nukes to keep the crazy arabs in check.

Nope
Seems to be no problem with arming those crazy arabs

*US sells F-15s to Saudi Arabia, worth $30 billion*

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/.../us-sells-f-15s-saudi-arabia-worth-30-billion

 

[EagleKeeper]

Analysts feel that Iran is bluffing.
Link

Iran's latest threat to seal off the Strait of Hormuz is probably a bluff, but its ability to slowly escalate tensions in the Persian Gulf with small attacks on commercial shipping or other incidents is a genuine danger, military analysts say.
...

 

[OutHouse]

Nope
Seems to be no problem with arming those crazy arabs

*US sells F-15s to Saudi Arabia, worth $30 billion*

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/.../us-sells-f-15s-saudi-arabia-worth-30-billion

are you stupid?

 

[gingermeggs]

Let me stop you right there. Screwing with the world's oil supply with be immediate suicide. We'd declare war over that.

And some of your blood will be split, your sons your daughters children, they will die for YOUR imperative! you make them die! to get you to the supermarket in an automobile!
WTF! CHUCK!
You are in debt as a nation massively, how much more will your creditors accept?
especially when you block them to legally buy your countries assets on Wall street!
they want your imperial footprint in other nations, your country is an abuser of human rights that's how you live a fat life out of shit all effort...my fat friend.....
Your country is asking for War to be attacked...again!
your country killed 1,000,000 IQARIS do I care?
No I cry..........when do we see fair from your people?
do you really want war at any cost?
Call this a declaration for the free peoples of this world, me as there leader!
When the fuck was their oil yours wise and beautiful woman!

 

[gingermeggs]

are you stupid?

Losing support...Ol'mate????

 

[gingermeggs]

The weird thing is I am an American lover, but mostly of your N/W er' mindset!
Oregon and Cali state, the west is the best, Vancouver in Canada!

 

[Darwin333]

If the Navy is escorting the tankers they have the ability to neutralize incoming weapons as well as firing on the point of attack.

Are they currently escorting the tankers?

 

[Londo_Jowo]

Are they currently escorting the tankers?

You seem to know everything, please enlighten all of us.

 

[Doppel]

And some of your blood will be split, your sons your daughters children, they will die for YOUR imperative! you make them die! to get you to the supermarket in an automobile!
WTF! CHUCK!
You are in debt as a nation massively, how much more will your creditors accept?
especially when you block them to legally buy your countries assets on Wall street!
they want your imperial footprint in other nations, your country is an abuser of human rights that's how you live a fat life out of shit all effort...my fat friend.....
Your country is asking for War to be attacked...again!
your country killed 1,000,000 IQARIS do I care?
No I cry..........when do we see fair from your people?
do you really want war at any cost?
Call this a declaration for the free peoples of this world, me as there leader!
When the fuck was their oil yours wise and beautiful woman!

Please use your grown-up words and sentence structure.