Russian Intelligence Sees U.S. Military Buildup On Iran Border
March 28th, 2007Via: rian.ru:
Russian military intelligence services are reporting a flurry of activity by U.S. Armed Forces near Iran’s borders, a high-ranking security source said Tuesday.
“The latest military intelligence data point to heightened U.S. military preparations for both an air and ground operation against Iran,” the official said, adding that the Pentagon has probably not yet made a final decision as to when an attack will be launched.
He said the Pentagon is looking for a way to deliver a strike against Iran “that would enable the Americans to bring the country to its knees at minimal cost.”
He also said the U.S. Naval presence in the Persian Gulf has for the first time in the past four years reached the level that existed shortly before the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
Col.-Gen. Leonid Ivashov, vice president of the Academy of Geopolitical Sciences, said last week that the Pentagon is planning to deliver a massive air strike on Iran’s military infrastructure in the near future.
A new U.S. carrier battle group has been dispatched to the Gulf.
The USS John C. Stennis, with a crew of 3,200 and around 80 fixed-wing aircraft, including F/A-18 Hornet and Superhornet fighter-bombers, eight support ships and four nuclear submarines are heading for the Gulf, where a similar group led by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower has been deployed since December 2006.
The U.S. is also sending Patriot anti-missile systems to the region.
Mike Ruppert’s blog seems to be active again.
Iran seems to be quite the new middle east debutante dancing with everyone from China, to Russia to Saudi Arabia.
What a surprise if the aging US spinster tries to spill red wine on her dress.
http://www.mikeruppert.blogspot.com/
Tis’ the season for re-upping all the various munitions conracts the Pentagon holds dearest. However, a the risk sounding a wee bit cliche, Iran is not Iraq, strategically or militarily.
After over a decade of “downsizing”, Iraq was essentially a paper tiger pre- “Shock & Awe”. Iran has suffered no such reductive influence, indeed, they have a fresh supply Russian-made anti-aircraft batteries and an actual air force, though they lag mightily in the overall “balance” of forces category.
Such an attack is also a clear signal that Iraq has been demoted to Afghanistan status, an urban poliical swamp of viceroyal pretensions utterly surrounded by hostile intent and small arms.
To my mind, it also signals the willingness of a narrow segment of elite interests to rile up the entire muslim ummah, by lighting a fire under Shiite-dominated Iran. Iraq is surely a privatized boondoggle extraordinaire, but they ignite Persia at their own peril. Conquerors of old, they are a vengeful and intelligent foe with a pride rooted thousands of years deep.
Their current list of economic allies also reads like a laundry list of multi-polar interests waiting patiently for the americans to overreach just enough for each to begin driving home their own territorial stakes.
I really have to wonder who’s making he strategic calls stateside these days, as the economic backdraft of whacking the Persian hornets nest with a big miliary stick will surely overshadow whatever manufactured gains are afforded the MIC through increased “wartime” revenues.
Or are they simply looking for a solid piece of geopolitical cover as they get ready to pull the rug out from under the US economy?
All these oatmeal-bowl speculations aside, I can add something concrete to the mix. In the hours just before the US pulled the trigger on Iraq in 2003, by virtue of our geographical location, we witnessed the influx of land-based air power in both small and large format.
Spangdahlem air base (Germany) is a convenient refueling stop for inbound USAF craft hopping [to] FROM England on their way to the Middle Eastern theater. Counted more A-10’s and F-16’s moving past, grouped in fours rather than the usual twos, than I’ve ever seen. We also spotted the high-flyers, dragging their death-laden bellies eastward to the slaughter.
Interestingly, in a seeming confirmation of the true power of Menwith Hill and Echelon, my ISP connection “disappeared” for about twelve hours directly after I reported what I was seeing to a few old friends back in the USSA via e-mail.
No local technical problems. No equipment failures or changes. It just went away, and came back just as mysteriously, a few hours after the skies of Baghdad were filled with tracer fire and the scream of low-flying fighter/bombers.
So, when (and if) the 2007 version of the flyover commences, I’ll post a word here ASAP, if only to see if my Net connection disappears once again.
Doug,
HA! You beat me to it. I’ve got an unfinished post sitting in front of me that contains the following sentence:
“If the U.S. engages Iran in a military conflict, all of us, everywhere, are in VERY deep shit.”
Not as eloquent or insightful as your analysis, but definitely in agreement…
Both Qatar (recently) and the UAE (today) have announced that they will NOT allow an attack on Iran from their soil.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L27163479.htm
Many are moving to distance themselves from the US ‘pariah nation’, lest they be caught in the coming crapstorm, and I cannot blame them for that.
“Or are they simply looking for a solid piece of geopolitical cover as they get ready to pull the rug out from under the US economy?”
This never occured to me, but it makes perfect sense. An attack on Iran could be nothing but disasterous for the US, and yet parts of the Bush administration seem hellbent on doing it. Why? What better way to hang on to your power and wealth for a little longer than to blame the problems you’ve engineered on someone else. I guess if the scapegoating ain’t broke…
– Mike Lorenz