US Naval War Games Off the Iranian Coastline:

[Matilda]

A Provocation which Could Lead to War?

There is a massive concentration of US naval power in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. Two US
naval strike groups are deployed: USS Enterprise and USS Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group. The
naval strike groups have been assigned to fighting the "global war on terrorism".

(snip)

Tehran considers the US sponsored war games in the Persian Gulf, off the Iranian coastline, as a
provocation, which is intended to trigger a potential crisis and a situation of direct confrontation
between the US and Iranian naval forces in the Persian Gulf.

"Reports say the US-led naval exercises based near Bahrain will practise intercepting and searching
ships carrying weapons of mass destruction and missiles.

Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted an unnamed foreign ministery official as describing the
military manoeuvres as dangerous and suspicious."

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=20061024&articleId=3593


These exercises could be considered provocative at any time, but even more so given that it seems
clear that Bush has, once again, made up his mind to pursue war.

But I also noted the start date: October 31st. A "provocative incident" by Iran just before the
mid-terms? It could be calculated to unite any waverers solidly behind Bush and the Republicans.
Is this the "October Surprise"?

[annabanana]

1. nominated... everyone should at least be aware

that they are there...

[VC2]

2. to draw iran into the war

would not be a wise thing for the u.s. to do.

[streamlake]

5. U.S is not going into iran

Bush doesn't even have the power to go into sadr city let alone iran.

The most pathetic thing about iraq fiasco is we have spent 400 billion, 20,000 wounded there and then have maliki bash our operations in sadr city.

The iraq election was somehow seen as something great for Bush which is a complete lie.

The iraq election showed bush has no power. They wanted a pro western leader and the sadirists and dawa party won.

So we are now giving weapons to shiite militia police who are biding their time before they get enough weapons to totally defeat the sunnis then go after us.

A mehdi army commander said as much in a washington post story last week.

[VC2]

7. what if iran makes the first strike?

it doesnt have to be the u.s.

[FloridaPat]

9. We'll never know if Iran actually did "strike first" or it is yet another

US incident to make it look like Iran did it. Or even Israel doing the incident.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Potential for another Gulf of Tomkin.

Military could practice war games anywhere in the world, yet conspicuously chose coastline of Iran after U.S. "leadership" makes it known that wants regime change. No coincidence.

This nonsense will only stop when one or more countries announces that it will defend Iran if it is attacked. Talk about the potential for Jihad Central or rewarming the Cold War.

[izzie]

4. I would think the Indian Ocean would be a better place for this

but I think it has been done before. One has a feeling that besides the Marine part of the Navy it is the only service Bush has not used a lot and is still not really messed up. The ships did shell in the first Iraq war, for sure from the Red Sea, with his father but I am not sure if it was used at all in this Iraq war. Bush may have got the Marines to Iraq on Navy ships but I am welling to bet he got private ships for the army. I do think thAT bUSH HAS USED THE SERVICE AS A POLITICAL ARM MORE THAN MOST AND i SURE WOULD NOT PUT IT PAST HIM TO START MORE MESS TO KEEP THE gop IN POWER. hE SEEMS TO HAVE A BLIND SPOT THAT ONLY HE KNOWS BEST.

[streamlake]

6. Air force is still in decent shape

The french are part of this excercise. We have had many other excercises with our great allies kuwait and bahrain.

[izzie]

11. I think we have bought and with China's aid, paid for those two counties.

The air force has been at this war since the father's war so I am not sure about how they are hanging in there. DOD I know wants to cut the Navy. Cost to much and the high seas maybe a thing of another age..

[Matilda]

12. The French are in the Eastern Mediterranean,

off the coast of Lebanon, taking part in "peace-keeping" as part of the enforcing of Resolution
1701, in a naval force led by Germany, and supported by Bulgaria, Greece and Italy. But the US
is supported in the Persian Gulf by Canada, and the presence of HMCS Ottawa.

I use the quotes because it's the opinion of this writer that the force is way beyond what is
needed for peace-keeping duties.

"The nature of the military equiipment and weapons systems being deployed has little to do with "peace-keeping". Moreover, NATO established a close military partnership with Israel in 2005, which in practice binds NATO member countries involved in Lebanon to fully cooperate with Israel."

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=CHO20061006&articleId=3407

[RC]

8. Gee, I wonder what would happen if China or Russia decided to hold war games

in the gulf of Mexico?
So what gives us, U.S. the right to do this off the coast of Iran?

[Matilda]

10. Russia and China aren't in the Gulf of Mexico,

but they've been holding their own war games in the ME and Cental Asia, as has Iran.

"Moreover, barely acknowledged by the Western media, both China and Russia have conducted war games in Central Asia, in collaboration with their coalition partners. In late September, Russia conducted air war exercises over a large part of its territory, extending from the Volga to the frontiers of Alaska and North America. These war games prompted the scrambling of NORAD fighter planes."

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=CHO20061006&articleId=3407

This is an earlier article by the same writer as my original post, Michel Chossudovsky. He does
seem to have extensive knowledge, not only of current activity, but of the type of equipment and
weapons being deployed.

It makes for very interesting reading, and once thing's certain - the U.S. isn't going it alone on
this one.

If anybody out there has naval expertise, I'd love to have an opinion on all this.