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/...on/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

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

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.

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-u...-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/zakdoff...s-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