Stand-off in Gulf with Iran 'a bit like Cold War' (UK Cdre Keith Winstanley)

[maddezmom]

~snip~

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Commodore Keith Winstanley also revealed that Royal Navy deployments in the region have almost doubled since October in a build-up that matches the rapid escalation of American maritime firepower.
~snip~

"If you look at the UK component we have almost doubled it," he said aboard Sutherland, a Type 23 frigate, in Mina al-Salman port in Bahrain. "Most of these ships are here on training missions but there is no doubt that we could use the warfighting capabilities they possess."

Cdre Winstanley said there was a message for Iran in the expansion of the coalition fleet in the waters of the Gulf, Sea of Oman and Arabian Sea.

"There are extra challenges facing us," he said. "There have been a series of Iranian exercises in the northern Gulf to the point that it's a bit like with the Russians at the height of the Cold War.

"We just have to hope that's not a recipe for miscalculation."


more:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/26/wiran26.xml

[truthisfreedom]

1. Not a recipe for miscalculation? When bushco is involved, EVERYTHING is a recipe for miscalculation!

bushco is DEFINED by disaster. And that's their legacy. Disaster. 9-11. Disaster. Katrina. Disaster. Even the election that put bushco in power... disaster. And their greatest disaster? Iraq. Disaster. So what can we expect from this new "miscalculation" re: Iran?


Disaster.

[Eurobabe]

2. BushCO desperately WANTS a distaster so they have an excuse to attack!

[Warren Stupidity]

3. No it is more like the classic late empire period of gun boat diplomacy

of the British empire in the Victorian Era. Iran is not a co-equal super power. We are fucking bullies who throw our weight around threatening one and all. It is a disgusting spectacle.

[Boo Boo]

4. The Telegraph has been running these saber-rattling stories lately

The one about Israel negotiating fly-over rights with the U.S. really seemed like psyops to me. That story is just the type of thing that gets leaked on purpose, sort of like the one where it was "accidentally" confirmed that Israel has nuclear weapons. So unlikely for that to happen on accident.

Could be BushCo are trying to spook Iran into grabbing for a negotiated settlement. Not that the Cheney Cabal doesn't want to attack, but there are others in the Admin that don't, and they might be trying to get back some of what was given up when they turned down Iran's Grand Bargain the first time. Could be that, with Pentagon Brass nearly in open revolt, Bushy-boy is starting to get cold feet.

It also occurred to me that the announced British withdrawal may have been an intentional slap upside the Bush Admin's head with a cold fish. I don't think they want to see an attack on Iran. OTOH, it could also be construed as an indicator of an impending attack. British forces would be basically surrounded on all sides, smack-dab in the middle of the easiest route for a counterattack.

Gettin' pretty hard to tell what the hell is going on these days.