Large Navel presence off coast of Iran - The Orange Mane

Hotrod · 05-23-2007, 01:17 PM

Im not saying were attacking anyone or anything but damn why keep pushing the issue. Im not sure with all the hot issues in the ME that we should be flipping the bird and exciting others right now.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18812865/

ABOARD USS JOHN C. STENNIS - Nine U.S. military ships entered the Gulf on Wednesday for a rare daylight assembly off Iran’s coast in what naval officials said was the largest such move since the 2003 Iraq war.
U.S. Navy officials said Iran had not been notified of plans to sail the vessels, which include two aircraft carriers, through the Straits of Hormuz, a narrow channel in international waters off Iran’s coast and a major artery for global oil shipments.
Most U.S. ships pass through the straits at night so as not to attract attention, and rarely move in such large numbers.

Navy officials said the decision to send a second aircraft carrier was made at the last minute, without giving a reason.Fears of military confrontation
Tension between the United States and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and Iraq has raised regional fears of a possible military confrontation that could hit Gulf economies and threaten vital oil exports.

But Rear Admiral Kevin Quinn, leading the group, said the ships would start conducting exercises after passing through the straits as part of a long-planned effort to reassure nearby countries of U.S. commitment to regional security.

“There’s always the threat of any state or non-state actor that might decide to close one of the international straits, and the biggest one is the Straits of Hormuz,” he told reporters on the USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier before the crossing.

On the way to the straits, a public announcement called on crew to witness “some of the most powerful ships in the world,” whose tight formation against a backdrop of the setting sun created a dramatic image of American naval might.

Hotrod · 05-23-2007, 01:23 PM

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/...uthorizes.html

The CIA has received secret presidential approval to mount a covert "black" operation to destabilize the Iranian government, current and former officials in the intelligence community tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com.

The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject, say President Bush has signed a "nonlethal presidential finding" that puts into motion a CIA plan that reportedly includes a coordinated campaign of propaganda, disinformation and manipulation of Iran's currency and international financial transactions.
"I can't confirm or deny whether such a program exists or whether the president signed it, but it would be consistent with an overall American approach trying to find ways to put pressure on the regime," said Bruce Riedel, a recently retired CIA senior official who dealt with Iran and other countries in the region.

A National Security Council spokesperson, Gordon Johndroe, said, "The White House does not comment on intelligence matters." A CIA spokesperson said, "As a matter of course, we do not comment on allegations of covert activity."

The sources say the CIA developed the covert plan over the last year and received approval from White House officials and other officials in the intelligence community.

Officials say the covert plan is designed to pressure Iran to stop its nuclear enrichment program and end aid to insurgents in Iraq.

"There are some channels where the United States government may want to do things without its hand showing, and legally, therefore, the administration would, if it's doing that, need an intelligence finding and would need to tell the Congress," said ABC News consultant Richard Clarke, a former White House counterterrorism official.

Current and former intelligence officials say the approval of the covert action means the Bush administration, for the time being, has decided not to pursue a military option against Iran.

bendog · 05-23-2007, 01:28 PM

Cheney is just praying they put a missle in the Stennis.

Rohirrim · 05-23-2007, 01:36 PM

I guess Bushie is trying to play Teddy Roosevelt with the White Fleet. Actually, that's probably not true. It's unlikely that Bush even knows who TR is.

Spider · 05-23-2007, 01:41 PM

Here we go again .......... Man if this goes down , who will want to be the one to clean up this mess ?

TailgateNut · 05-23-2007, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rohirrim

I guess Bushie is trying to play Teddy Roosevelt with the White Fleet. Actually, that's probably not true. It's unlikely that Bush even knows who TR is.

The fleet? Bush doesn't even know what a soldier is! He thinks being in the military is a barrel of laughs!
F-ing idiot!

Hotrod · 05-23-2007, 01:51 PM

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php...show_article=1

VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Iran continues to defy U.N. Security Council demands to scrap its uranium enrichment program and has instead expanded its activities, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Wednesday in a finding that sets the stage for new council sanctions.
The report from Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency, also faulted Tehran for blocking IAEA efforts to probe suspicious nuclear activities, saying that meant it could not "provide assurances about ... the exclusively peaceful nature" of its atomic program.

And, in new and worrying phrasing, it expressed concern about its "deteriorating" understanding of unexplored aspects of the program, despite four years of a probe sparked by revelations that Tehran had been clandestinely developing enrichment and other nuclear activities that could be used to make weapons for nearly two decades.
The report, one of a series keeping the IAEA's 35-nation board and the Security Council up to date on the agency's monitoring efforts, was posted simultaneously on the IAEA internal Web site and handed over to the president of the Security Council for distribution among its members.

While the reports finding that Iran was expanding enrichment instead of curtailing it was not surprising, it was important as a trigger for possible new U.N. sanctions, the third since the first were imposed Dec. 23.

With the council's latest deadline for Iranian compliance ending Thursday, the report could set the stage for within days for consultations on new council penalties.

A senior U.N. diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly comment on the report, suggested that the shrinking hole left for inspections by Iran's rollback of previous monitoring agreements was potentially as worrying as its defiance on enrichment.

The brevity of the four-page report indirectly reflected the lack of progress agency inspectors had made clearing up unresolved issues, among them; Iran's possession of diagrams showing how to form uranium into warhead form; unexplained uranium contamination at a research facility; information on high explosives experiments that could be linked to a nuclear program and the design of a missile re-entry vehicle.

TailgateNut · 05-23-2007, 01:57 PM

You gotta remember there's only room for one out of control loose cannon on the planet at one time. Bush is currently it, and he has to insure no one tops his shoot from the hip style while he's in office.

****ing maniacs, both of them!

Bob · 05-23-2007, 02:44 PM

I wonder if America or Israel will let Iran get a nuke -- they have several thousand centrafuges sp going at this time, and need to refine the materal quite a bit more before it is pure enough grade to use in a nuke, but at the point that Iran boots out the international inspectors (if they kick them out), that is the time when I fear someone will feel compelled to act...

defenseman · 05-23-2007, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob

I wonder if America or Israel will let Iran get a nuke -- they have several thousand centrafuges sp going at this time, and need to refine the materal quite a bit more before it is pure enough grade to use in a nuke, but at the point that Iran boots out the international inspectors (if they kick them out), that is the time when I fear someone will feel compelled to act...

Iran will not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon......dman

TailgateNut · 05-23-2007, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by defenseman

Iran will not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon......dman

Guaranteed, even if it puts the US into a recession. How does $10 a gallon sound?

SPfloppy · 05-23-2007, 03:37 PM

Well S*** here we go again. I was surprised by the story on foxnews this morning when I thought they were'nt attepting to provoke the Iranians. Damn it dude this sucks again!

bendog · 05-23-2007, 03:39 PM

I remember a time when the US had a reputation for representative govt and the rule of law, when dissing us in the UN when we called for sanctions had a political price for those not really our allies - russian and china.

mhgaffney · 05-23-2007, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by defenseman

Iran will not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon......dman

The usual nonsense from hypocritical D man.

The safest way to prevent the spread of nukes is to get serious about abolishing them altogether. I mean ALL NUKES -- not just those owned by folks who are not in political favor at the moment.

This means Israel's massive nuclear arsenal -- and our own.

Unfortunately, at present we are moving in the opposite direction. No doubt, this is why the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists recently moved up the dooooomsday clock. It's now set at 5 minutes til midnight -- and ticking.

The US has achieved or is close to achieving a nuclear first strike capability against Russia and China. That should keep you awake at night -- with worry -- given the criminal mafia now in the White House.

No doubt Cheney is praying for an incident in the Gulf -- so he can attack Iran.

I'm praying the clot in Cheney's leg migrates to his brain -- and saves the world.

bendog · 05-23-2007, 03:48 PM

At this point, given the tragedy of Iraq and world opinion of the US, attacking Iran even with 100% certainty it would destroy their program for ten years (which it won't) would actually be worse than them getting a nuke

The little hitler's losing support rapidly. He's not popular so much as he's the only politician who can credibly talk about the inequalities in Iran.

Spider · 05-23-2007, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPfloppy

Well S*** here we go again. I was surprised by the story on foxnews this morning when I thought they were'nt attepting to provoke the Iranians. Damn it dude this sucks again!

come on everyone knows Iran hates us for our freedom ....... mushroom cloud , go boom glow in the dark , president Almond joy of Iran is another Hitler , WMD everywhere , brutal dictator , people of Iran will greet us as Liberators .......

TailgateNut · 05-23-2007, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by §Pide®

come on everyone knows Iran hates us for our freedom ....... mushroom cloud , go boom glow in the dark , president Almond joy of Iran is another Hitler , WMD everywhere , brutal dictator , people of Iran will greet us as Liberators .......

You forgot "the flowers and embracing democracy"!

bendog · 05-23-2007, 04:03 PM

freedomS. It's "they hate us for our freedoms."

As in, "they're dangerous nooklerists." "it's a hard job tellin' men to leave their families." "world's a dangerous place with triggerhappy regiemes." "progress in Iraq is difficult to see, but I see it everday"

I made these up, btw

Rohirrim · 05-23-2007, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bendog

freedomS. It's "they hate us for our freedoms."

As in, "they're dangerous nooklerists." "it's a hard job tellin' men to leave their families." "world's a dangerous place with triggerhappy regiemes." "progress in Iraq is difficult to see, but I see it everday"

I made these up, btw

You've got the BIC down cold.

defenseman · 05-23-2007, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mhgaffney

The usual nonsense from hypocritical D man.

The safest way to prevent the spread of nukes is to get serious about abolishing them altogether. I mean ALL NUKES -- not just those owned by folks who are not in political favor at the moment.

This means Israel's massive nuclear arsenal -- and our own.

Unfortunately, at present we are moving in the opposite direction. No doubt, this is why the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists recently moved up the dooooomsday clock. It's now set at 5 minutes til midnight -- and ticking.

The US has achieved or is close to achieving a nuclear first strike capability against Russia and China. That should keep you awake at night -- with worry -- given the criminal mafia now in the White House.

No doubt Cheney is praying for an incident in the Gulf -- so he can attack Iran.

I'm praying the clot in Cheney's leg migrates to his brain -- and saves the world.

Typical nonsense from america's favorite "hate america" guy....dman

Spider · 05-23-2007, 04:15 PM

it is all a load of Shít , Bush and his clan are bullshítting us again to get another war ........... we need Bill Clinton ...........

TailgateNut · 05-23-2007, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rohirrim

You've got the BIC down cold.

No doubt. I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't think it's funny that a psychotic bumpkin is in charge.

defenseman · 05-23-2007, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by §Pide®

it is all a load of Shít , Bush and his clan are bullshítting us again to get another war ........... we need Bill Clinton ...........

I'm thinking you are overreacting to what is in progress. However, keep in mind, iraq/afghan are the priorities right now. the only way I can see we start the ball rolling is absolute proof the iranians are headlong into nuke production, which they may very well be, but for now I'm thinking they don't have enough. That said, we still have to extricate ourselves out of iraq yet. I would understand some behind the scenes posturing and manipulation against them though. Got to set the table up somehow if you need to go in...dman

bendog · 05-23-2007, 04:35 PM

He's a nut D-Man, but there's really no reasonable doubt that the WH is trolling for a missle with the Stennis. The %chance that we'll launch preemptively changes by the week.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0206/p09s01-coop.html

It's not even about nukes. Bush and his neocon agenda have wanted to attack Iran since 1998. It's not even something they keep secret anymore.

defenseman · 05-23-2007, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bendog

He's a nut D-Man, but there's really no reasonable doubt that the WH is trolling for a missle with the Stennis. The %chance that we'll launch preemptively changes by the week.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0206/p09s01-coop.html

It's not even about nukes. Bush and his neocon agenda have wanted to attack Iran since 1998. It's not even something they keep secret anymore.

The nukes are an issue undoubtedly. However, I don't think we can manage a war on 4 fronts to be honest. Just don't see it in the cards right now. In any case, we'll see. It is what it is...dman

05-23-2007, 01:17 PM	#1
Hotrod Self Appointed Expert aka Dortoh Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 25,136 Adopt-a-Bronco: Miss I	Large Navel presence off coast of Iran Im not saying were attacking anyone or anything but damn why keep pushing the issue. Im not sure with all the hot issues in the ME that we should be flipping the bird and exciting others right now. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18812865/ ABOARD USS JOHN C. STENNIS - Nine U.S. military ships entered the Gulf on Wednesday for a rare daylight assembly off Iran’s coast in what naval officials said was the largest such move since the 2003 Iraq war. U.S. Navy officials said Iran had not been notified of plans to sail the vessels, which include two aircraft carriers, through the Straits of Hormuz, a narrow channel in international waters off Iran’s coast and a major artery for global oil shipments. Most U.S. ships pass through the straits at night so as not to attract attention, and rarely move in such large numbers. Navy officials said the decision to send a second aircraft carrier was made at the last minute, without giving a reason.Fears of military confrontation Tension between the United States and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and Iraq has raised regional fears of a possible military confrontation that could hit Gulf economies and threaten vital oil exports. But Rear Admiral Kevin Quinn, leading the group, said the ships would start conducting exercises after passing through the straits as part of a long-planned effort to reassure nearby countries of U.S. commitment to regional security. “There’s always the threat of any state or non-state actor that might decide to close one of the international straits, and the biggest one is the Straits of Hormuz,” he told reporters on the USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier before the crossing. On the way to the straits, a public announcement called on crew to witness “some of the most powerful ships in the world,” whose tight formation against a backdrop of the setting sun created a dramatic image of American naval might.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

05-23-2007, 01:23 PM	#2
Hotrod Self Appointed Expert aka Dortoh Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 25,136 Adopt-a-Bronco: Miss I	http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/...uthorizes.html The CIA has received secret presidential approval to mount a covert "black" operation to destabilize the Iranian government, current and former officials in the intelligence community tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com. The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject, say President Bush has signed a "nonlethal presidential finding" that puts into motion a CIA plan that reportedly includes a coordinated campaign of propaganda, disinformation and manipulation of Iran's currency and international financial transactions. "I can't confirm or deny whether such a program exists or whether the president signed it, but it would be consistent with an overall American approach trying to find ways to put pressure on the regime," said Bruce Riedel, a recently retired CIA senior official who dealt with Iran and other countries in the region. A National Security Council spokesperson, Gordon Johndroe, said, "The White House does not comment on intelligence matters." A CIA spokesperson said, "As a matter of course, we do not comment on allegations of covert activity." The sources say the CIA developed the covert plan over the last year and received approval from White House officials and other officials in the intelligence community. Officials say the covert plan is designed to pressure Iran to stop its nuclear enrichment program and end aid to insurgents in Iraq. "There are some channels where the United States government may want to do things without its hand showing, and legally, therefore, the administration would, if it's doing that, need an intelligence finding and would need to tell the Congress," said ABC News consultant Richard Clarke, a former White House counterterrorism official. Current and former intelligence officials say the approval of the covert action means the Bush administration, for the time being, has decided not to pursue a military option against Iran.

05-23-2007, 01:28 PM	#3
bendog Marginally Continent David Bowens, he'd be an upgrade Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Folsom Prison Posts: 19,935 Adopt-a-Bronco: David Bowens	Cheney is just praying they put a missle in the Stennis.

05-23-2007, 01:36 PM	#4
Rohirrim Partisan Human Cannonball Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Twixt Hell & Highwater Posts: 48,794	I guess Bushie is trying to play Teddy Roosevelt with the White Fleet. Actually, that's probably not true. It's unlikely that Bush even knows who TR is.

05-23-2007, 01:41 PM	#5
Spider Mr Diplomacy I survived Tebow Mania at the Mane Join Date: May 2001 Location: Elway was just an arm =MacGruder Posts: 84,438 Adopt-a-Bronco: Von Miller	Here we go again .......... Man if this goes down , who will want to be the one to clean up this mess ?

05-23-2007, 01:51 PM	#7
Hotrod Self Appointed Expert aka Dortoh Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 25,136 Adopt-a-Bronco: Miss I	http://www.breitbart.com/article.php...show_article=1 VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Iran continues to defy U.N. Security Council demands to scrap its uranium enrichment program and has instead expanded its activities, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Wednesday in a finding that sets the stage for new council sanctions. The report from Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency, also faulted Tehran for blocking IAEA efforts to probe suspicious nuclear activities, saying that meant it could not "provide assurances about ... the exclusively peaceful nature" of its atomic program. And, in new and worrying phrasing, it expressed concern about its "deteriorating" understanding of unexplored aspects of the program, despite four years of a probe sparked by revelations that Tehran had been clandestinely developing enrichment and other nuclear activities that could be used to make weapons for nearly two decades. The report, one of a series keeping the IAEA's 35-nation board and the Security Council up to date on the agency's monitoring efforts, was posted simultaneously on the IAEA internal Web site and handed over to the president of the Security Council for distribution among its members. While the reports finding that Iran was expanding enrichment instead of curtailing it was not surprising, it was important as a trigger for possible new U.N. sanctions, the third since the first were imposed Dec. 23. With the council's latest deadline for Iranian compliance ending Thursday, the report could set the stage for within days for consultations on new council penalties. A senior U.N. diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly comment on the report, suggested that the shrinking hole left for inspections by Iran's rollback of previous monitoring agreements was potentially as worrying as its defiance on enrichment. The brevity of the four-page report indirectly reflected the lack of progress agency inspectors had made clearing up unresolved issues, among them; Iran's possession of diagrams showing how to form uranium into warhead form; unexplained uranium contamination at a research facility; information on high explosives experiments that could be linked to a nuclear program and the design of a missile re-entry vehicle.

05-23-2007, 01:57 PM	#8
TailgateNut Bleedin' orange! .......as much as tebonites Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mile High Posts: 20,018 Adopt-a-Bronco: Howard Griffith	You gotta remember there's only room for one out of control loose cannon on the planet at one time. Bush is currently it, and he has to insure no one tops his shoot from the hip style while he's in office. ****ing maniacs, both of them!

05-23-2007, 02:44 PM	#9
Bob Ring of Famer Join Date: May 2001 Posts: 5,330	I wonder if America or Israel will let Iran get a nuke -- they have several thousand centrafuges sp going at this time, and need to refine the materal quite a bit more before it is pure enough grade to use in a nuke, but at the point that Iran boots out the international inspectors (if they kick them out), that is the time when I fear someone will feel compelled to act...

05-23-2007, 03:37 PM	#12
SPfloppy Perennial Pro-bowler Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 880	Well S*** here we go again. I was surprised by the story on foxnews this morning when I thought they were'nt attepting to provoke the Iranians. Damn it dude this sucks again!

05-23-2007, 03:39 PM	#13
bendog Marginally Continent David Bowens, he'd be an upgrade Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Folsom Prison Posts: 19,935 Adopt-a-Bronco: David Bowens	I remember a time when the US had a reputation for representative govt and the rule of law, when dissing us in the UN when we called for sanctions had a political price for those not really our allies - russian and china.

05-23-2007, 03:48 PM	#15
bendog Marginally Continent David Bowens, he'd be an upgrade Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Folsom Prison Posts: 19,935 Adopt-a-Bronco: David Bowens	At this point, given the tragedy of Iraq and world opinion of the US, attacking Iran even with 100% certainty it would destroy their program for ten years (which it won't) would actually be worse than them getting a nuke The little hitler's losing support rapidly. He's not popular so much as he's the only politician who can credibly talk about the inequalities in Iran.

05-23-2007, 04:03 PM	#18
bendog Marginally Continent David Bowens, he'd be an upgrade Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Folsom Prison Posts: 19,935 Adopt-a-Bronco: David Bowens	freedomS. It's "they hate us for our freedoms." As in, "they're dangerous nooklerists." "it's a hard job tellin' men to leave their families." "world's a dangerous place with triggerhappy regiemes." "progress in Iraq is difficult to see, but I see it everday" I made these up, btw

05-23-2007, 04:15 PM	#21
Spider Mr Diplomacy I survived Tebow Mania at the Mane Join Date: May 2001 Location: Elway was just an arm =MacGruder Posts: 84,438 Adopt-a-Bronco: Von Miller	it is all a load of Shít , Bush and his clan are bullshítting us again to get another war ........... we need Bill Clinton ...........

05-23-2007, 04:35 PM	#24
bendog Marginally Continent David Bowens, he'd be an upgrade Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Folsom Prison Posts: 19,935 Adopt-a-Bronco: David Bowens	He's a nut D-Man, but there's really no reasonable doubt that the WH is trolling for a missle with the Stennis. The %chance that we'll launch preemptively changes by the week. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0206/p09s01-coop.html It's not even about nukes. Bush and his neocon agenda have wanted to attack Iran since 1998. It's not even something they keep secret anymore.