What's happening in Middle east/Iran?

[bladefd]

I'm surprised no mention of this on ISH.. US is rushing in Aircraft carrier group along with B52 long-range bombers.. Something or nothing?


The Abraham Lincoln, which already was scheduled for deployment to the Persian Gulf region, is being rushed there ahead of schedule. The aircraft carrier, with a wing of warplanes and 3,000 sailors aboard, is accompanied by the USS Leyte Gulf, a guided-missile cruiser, and four destroyers, the USS Bainbridge, Gonzalez, Mason and Nitze.


The escalating tensions follow an announcement last month by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of new sanctions against any country, including U.S. allies, that imports Iranian oil, the country's top source of income. The White House also designated the Revolutionary Guards Corps as a foreign terrorist organization, part of a hardening stance toward Iran.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky, warned against any U.S. military action against Iran.

“I think it’s very important that the administration know they do not have our permission to (engage in) … any kind of war or regime change operation in Iran.”

Asked if he is worried about Bolton pushing for military action, Paul said: “I think that the president’s instincts are good on this and hopefully he’ll listen to his inner voice.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/05/07/b-52-bombers-aircraft-carrier-uss-lincoln-rushed-confront-iran-bolton/1130543001/

[n00bie]

No one cares what happens to the middle east.

[Objectivity]

Trump talked to Putin, did Putin sell them out?

[SomeBlackDude]

what's happening is a long-planned military exercise being used to bluff europe out of their oil deals/sanctions relief with iran, while simultaneously wagging the dog to cover all the bad news coming from congress' oversight efforts.

[QUOTE][URL="https://breakingdefense.com/2019/05/cno-uss-lincoln-persian-gulf-trip-no-surprise-planned-for-some-time/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EBB%2005.07.19&utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief"][B]CNO: USS Lincoln Persian Gulf Trip No Surprise

[bladefd]

Navy buildup continues in Middle East.. Why would Iran directly attack US forces? It's idiotic and makes no sense :wtf:


The Pentagon announced Friday that it is deploying an amphibious assault ship and a Patriot missile battery to the Middle East to bolster an aircraft carrier force sent to counter alleged threats from Iran.

The USS Arlington, which transports marines, amphibious vehicles, conventional landing craft and rotary aircraft, and the Patriot air defense system will join the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a B-52 bomber task force headed toward the Gulf after intelligence reports suggested Iran was planning some sort of attack in the region.

The deployment is "in response to indications of heightened Iranian readiness to conduct offensive operations against US forces and our interests," the Pentagon said in a statement.

[Rolando]

The US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia have been trying to figure out when the best moment would be to have a war with and take out Iran.

Having a favorable political situation in the US government at the moment makes it seem like the right time to do something. You never know what might happen if Trump doesn't get a second term so the time to act may be now.

There are profits to be made when oil prices go up. There's profits to be made selling military equipment.

Once Iran actually has a nuclear capability, the window of opportunity will be closed.

If Trump feels like his chances for re-election are not good....He's going to go for it for sure. Chances for a second term go up dramatically during wartime.

[Derka]

The US/Western Europe has had a hard-on for f*cking with Iran for almost 70 years now because it wants control of Iranian oil. Every time Iran f*cks back because they

[fiddy]

Besides the escalation with Iran, things seems to be heating up in Syria, as well.

[NumberSix]

Navy buildup continues in Middle East.. Why would Iran directly attack US forces? It's idiotic and makes no sense :wtf:
Well, they captured and humiliated US sailors under Obama. I doubt they

[Long Duck Dong]

[QUOTE=Derka]The US/Western Europe has had a hard-on for f*cking with Iran for almost 70 years now because it wants control of Iranian oil. Every time Iran f*cks back because they

[fiddy]

Like the US gives a flying fvck about their stupid oil anymore. US produces 2.5 times as much domestically. No mention of the fact that they have or are attempting to produce nuclear weapons that their leaders have publicly stated they will use them to wipe nations off the face of the earth. :oldlol:
It does, a potential conflict with Iran will drive the prices of oil through the roof, which means more $$$ for all local producers, as well as for US corporations involved in production overseas.

[Long Duck Dong]

It does, a potential conflict with Iran will drive the prices of oil through the roof, which means more $$$ for all local producers, as well as for US corporations involved in production overseas.

The price of oil was cheaper when we had boots on the ground in the middle east and there was actual armed conflict with Syria. So how does that work?

[fiddy]

The price of oil was cheaper when we had boots on the ground in the middle east and there was actual armed conflict with Syria. So how does that work?
The US still has boots on the ground in the ME. Which exact time frame are you referring to?

Btw, at one point the US pressed Saudi Arabia to flood the market with oil for the sake of hitting Russian, Iranian and Venezuelan economies, all of which are heavily dependent on income from oil. There was a small backfire, which hit US shale producers, but it was an opportunity for the big corporations to overtake smaller/independent shale producers.

[bladefd]

Things certainly look like they are escalating. Iran is like a cornered beast - you don't know how they will react as US continues to push them around. They are getting very defensive:


“An aircraft carrier that has at least 40 to 50 planes on it and 6,000 forces gathered within it was a serious threat for us in the past but now it is a target and the threats have switched to opportunities,” said Amirali Hajizadeh, head of the Guards’ aerospace division.

“If (the Americans) make a move, we will hit them in the head,” he added, according to ISNA.

Iranian navy commander Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi said on Sunday that American forces must exit, according to ISNA. “The presence of the Americans in the Persian Gulf region has reached its end and they must leave the region,” Khanzadi said.https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-iran/iran-commander-calls-us-military-in-gulf-a-target-not-a-threat-isna-idUSKCN1SI056


Earlier on Saturday, Iran's state Press TV headlined President Hassan Rouhani's claims that the country is "facing all-out-war," with its leadership rallying the population as tensions escalate. "Rouhani," reported Press TV, "said the current wave of pressure on Iran is even more difficult than the one experienced during the Iran-Iraq war period," and the country "needs unity and cohesiveness at the time of increased political and economic pressure, which he described as unprecedented in the history of the country since the Islamic revolution of 1979."

A day earlier, on Friday, Ayatollah Yousef Tabatabai Nejad was reported by Iran's ISNA news agency as taunting the dispatch of the U.S. carrier group. "Their billion-dollar fleet can be destroyed with one missile," he said during Friday prayers. "If they attempt any move, they will [see] dozens of missiles because at that time officials won’t be in charge to act cautiously, but instead things will be in the hands of our beloved leader."

Pompeo is not helping.. He is only adding fuel to the fire:

"Iran is the major destabilizing influence in the Middle East, and we aim to fix that," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told CNBC on Saturday. "What we've seen from the Iranians is increased threats... it's real... and it appears to be current."

The same day, the IRGC’s deputy head for political affairs Yadollah Javani was equally provocative, quoted by the Tasnim news agency as saying that "no talks will be held with the Americans and the Americans will not dare take military action against us," in response to President Trump's public call for talks and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's assurance of a swift and decisive response to any attack by Iran.https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2019/05/12/u-s-aims-to-fix-irans-destabilizing-influence-as-iran-says-it-faces-all-out-war/

This is not good at all.. Bolton/Pompeo both have their sights on Iran along with the Pentagon. Pompeo says Iran is the threat but it's us who started the escalation, and we are on the verge of forcefully killing the nuclear agreement with Iran. Iran recently said they will restart their nuclear programs if we don't back off. Maybe that's what the Trump administration is waiting for to use as excuse to invade Iran?

[bladefd]

[QUOTE]President Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed a report that he was reviewing a plan to send hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops to the Middle East, saying he'd send "a hell of a lot more troops than that" if he decided to get more aggressive with Iran.

The New York Times reported Monday that top national security officials at the White House were presented last week with an updated plan by acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan that

[fiddy]

Trump is talking about the white house's plans. What about Pentagon/CIA plans?

[bladefd]

Coming full circle, boys & girls


President Donald Trump may not need Congress to go to war with Iran.

That's the case his lieutenants have been quietly building as tensions between the two nations have escalated.

The key elements involve drawing links between al Qaeda and Iran and casting Iran as a terrorist threat to the U.S. — which is exactly what administration officials have been doing in recent weeks.

That could give Trump the justification he needs to fight Iran under the still-in-effect 2001 use-of-force resolution without congressional approval.

...


And in recent weeks, the Trump administration has accused Iran of assisting al Qaeda, designated an arm of the Iranian military as a foreign terrorist organization and accused Iran of being linked to a terrorist threat against the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, Iraq.

...former government lawyers familiar with the 2001 law and its applications say it's obvious from those moves what the Trump administration is trying to do.

"The whole thing is building up to the notion that they don't have to go to Congress for approval," Yale University law professor Harold Koh, who served as the State Department's top lawyer under Secretary Hillary Clinton, said in a telephone interview with NBC News.

Yet Koh said an attempt to shoehorn Iran into the 2001 AUMF is absurd and shouldn't pass legal muster.

"The theory of war powers has to be that Congress doesn't just sign off once," he said. "The suggestion now that Iran attacked us on 9/11 is ridiculous."

The original law essentially creates a two-part test for the president to make a determination that force is warranted: a country, group or person has aided al Qaeda and force is necessary to prevent a terrorist attack against the U.S. from that entity.https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-administration-has-already-built-its-case-iran-war-n1007281

Where's the evidence to back up the claim that Iran is involved with Al Qaeda?

This is building up to the premise of Iraq all over again. Firstly, Bush administration claimed Iraq was involved with Al Qaeda (they were), but secondly they also used the WMD-argument (complete bs).

We have already seen Pompeo and others from Lil Donny administration claim Iran is involved with Al Qaeda (first parallel point met). Only thing remaining is for Iran to publicly state they will restart their nuclear program. Iran has the know-how to do it so suddenly Trump administration would have a full case very similar to Iraq. They are trying to push Iran into saying or doing something, anything they can use as justification for war. Iran might say something because they are a cornered beast.

I think the closer we get to 2020 election, the more desperate Lil Donny will get for a war.

[imdaman99]

Iran and Al-Qaeda? :biggums: are we serious, Iran would never team up with those scumbags.

Iran is not the enemy :facepalm

[SomeBlackDude]

Iran is not the enemy :facepalm

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showpost.php?p=13650636&postcount=1064

https://media.giphy.com/media/GrfbgKsWRvA5y/giphy.gif

fake news reporting is saying the emperor is getting cold feet. too scared to pull the trigger despite the prodding of bolton and the other neo con warhawks who pull his strings.

[MaxFly]

It does, a potential conflict with Iran will drive the prices of oil through the roof, which means more $$$ for all local producers, as well as for US corporations involved in production overseas.

Basically...

[SomeBlackDude]

Breaking: The Trump administration officially notified US lawmakers that it plans to circumvent normal congressional rules to speed up arms sales to Saudi Arabia and UAE amid rising tensions with Iran.


CBS News confirms the White House has notified congress it plans to send an additional 1500 troops to the Middle East, amid rising tensions with Iran.

it's on.

[fiddy]

Pro-Iranian source quotes the Iraqi PM saying there are more than 50k US soldiers in Iraq.


TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior Iraqi lawmaker blasted the US for not pulling out its troops from Iran, and underlined that the number of American forces in the Arab country has considerably increased.
"A large number of forces and military equipment have been sent to Ain al-Assad without any permission from the Iraqi government, noting that the number of American forces in Iraq has exceeded 50,000," Member of Iraqi Parliament's Security and Defense Committee Karim al-Mohammadawi told the Arabic-language al-Ma'aloumeh news website.

The Iraqi lawmaker reiterated that the US plans to turn Ain al-Assad airbase in al-Anbar province into a key center for its air force in Iraq.



http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980303000200

[Rolando]

Iran and Al-Qaeda? :biggums: are we serious, Iran would never team up with those scumbags.

Iran is not the enemy :facepalm

Al-Qaeda is financed by the Saudis. Iran of course has nothing to do with them.

[Rolando]

Pro-Iranian source quotes the Iraqi PM saying there are more than 50k US soldiers in Iraq.


http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980303000200

I'd be willing to bet that to the East of Iran, troops are massing in Afghanistan as well.

The whole point of the "War" in Afghanistan was to pre-position troops there for an eventual war with Iran.

Iran is in a very difficult position.....Now it is a race to build nuclear weapons before the US/Saudi/Israeli team pulls the trigger on this.

They have to sell it to the American people somehow. Perhaps they can use the "Terrorism" excuse yet again. And Americans will fall for it yet again.

[fiddy]

I'd be willing to bet that to the East of Iran, troops are massing in Afghanistan as well.

The whole point of the "War" in Afghanistan was to pre-position troops there for an eventual war with Iran.

Iran is in a very difficult position.....Now it is a race to build nuclear weapons before the US/Saudi/Israeli team pulls the trigger on this.

They have to sell it to the American people somehow. Perhaps they can use the "Terrorism" excuse yet again. And Americans will fall for it yet again.
Agreed. Id like to add that another reason for american invasion of Afghanistan is possible destabilization of Russia. Its a vulnerable spot and a source of possible terrorist, who can skip the border and do some damage in some Russian city. I believe that the FSB is extremely careful with those.

[bladefd]

I'd be willing to bet that to the East of Iran, troops are massing in Afghanistan as well.

The whole point of the "War" in Afghanistan was to pre-position troops there for an eventual war with Iran.

Iran is in a very difficult position.....Now it is a race to build nuclear weapons before the US/Saudi/Israeli team pulls the trigger on this.

They have to sell it to the American people somehow. Perhaps they can use the "Terrorism" excuse yet again. And Americans will fall for it yet again.

Trump and Pentagon are just waiting for an excuse to go rolling into Iran without Congressional support (if Lil Donny remembers it is the branch that is supposed to declare war). Anything that they can use, even something like Iran saying they are out of the deal. This will be a bloodbath if it goes down.. Iran is deadlier and tougher to invade than Iraq. US also won't have the same allies support as against Iraq. Iran will also strike Israel and Saudi Arabia in retaliation. A lot of people are going to die.

I really hope Iran keeps their mouths shut and doesn't say anything. Keep the nuclear deal alive with Europe and do nothing to break it. Otherwise, there will be hell from the guy who is in the Saudis pockets.. This must not go down..

My worry is this could be a desperate measure by Lil Donny to ensure he stays in office for 2nd term. Just like you, I also hope the American people don't fall for it again..

[Objectivity]

American oil lobby & aipac run trump :roll:

[Rolando]

Again this has to be sold to the American people:

American soldiers will die for the benefit of Saudi Arabia and Israel. That's really the deal.

How much will Americans directly benefit from defeating Iran?

And

What has Iran actually done to harm Americans? (That's a good question)

The dudes in Washington have some convincing and selling to do.

[MaxFly]

There's a tweet for everything.

https://i.ibb.co/xX2cHq0/Annotation-2019-05-25-071035.jpg

[bladefd]

Anyone heard of the boy who cried wolf?

"IRAN WILL ATTACK US, IRAN WILL ATTACK US!!"


The top commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East says he believes the Iranians or their proxies may orchestrate an attack at any moment.

"I think the threat is imminent," Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie said in an exclusive broadcast interview with NBC News in the Iraqi capital. "We continually evaluate our force posture in the region."

McKenzie stressed that tensions remain high.

"I don't actually believe the threat has diminished," McKenzie said after holding a series of meetings with the Iraqi prime minister and defense chief. "...I believe the threat is still very real."

"They probe for weakness all the times," McKenzie said. "I would say the threat has probably evolved in certain ways even as our defensive posture has changed and become more aggressive, and we certainly thank our Iraqi partners for many of the things they've done."

"I think we're still in the period of what I would call tactical warning," he said. "The threat is very real. "

McKenzie declined to go into specifics on the nature of the threats.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/u-s-commander-says-american-forces-face-imminent-threat-iran-n1014556

[TheMan]

Wow, Trump calls what Bush did in Iraq an unmitigated clusterfukk, but it's looking like he's about to serve us a BIG, or better said, yuuuge shit sandwich, and we're all gonna take a bite.

B-b-b-but Trump supporters said Hillary was a warhawk and Trump wasn't :confusedshrug:

I hope to God Trump does get cold feet and doesn't pull the trigger on this...it will be way the fukk worse than Iraq :facepalm :facepalm :facepalm

The warpigs around him are itching to go at Iran, I knew something was up when he let that fukkhead Bolton in his administration.