Thread: Iranian warships sail into the Mediterranean

Iranian warships sail into the Mediterranean
CNN's Shirzad Bozorgmehr contributed to this report.
February 19, 2012


Iranian patrol frigate Alvand transits through the Suez Canal in this file picture dated February 22, 2011.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: The ships are reportedly heading to Syria
• It's only the second time such ships have crossed the Suez Canal since 1979
• The move comes amid heightened regional tensions
• Report: The mission carries a "message of peace and friendship," a rear admiral says

(CNN) -- Two Iranian warships sailed through Egypt's Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea, Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency reported Saturday, amid heightened tensions in the region.

The move represents only the second time such ships have crossed the Suez Canal since the Islamic republic's 1979 revolution.

The first time took place in February 2011, just days after Egypt's post-Hosni Mubarak government gave the green light to the passage -- putting Egypt's new military leaders in a prickly position with its Israeli neighbor.

"As the Navy affected the region with its presence in the Mediterranean Sea last year, the Navy's 18th fleet will in the best way carry the message of peace and friendship to regional countries, and display the might of the country and the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran," said Rear Adm. Habibollah Sayyari, according to Mehr.

It was not clear from the report where the two vessels, a destroyer and a supply ship, were headed. However, another semi-official Iranian news agency, ISNA, said the ships were on their way to Syria.

The canal is an internal body of water, and as such, Egypt has sovereignty over it. But Egypt also is bound by the 1978 Camp David Accords, which guarantee the right of free passage by ships belonging to Israel and all other nations on the basis of the Constantinople Convention of 1888.

The warships' reported movement comes as tensions between Iran and Israel are high, with speculation of a pre-emptive Israeli strike on Iran to stop its suspected nuclear weapons program. Israel has also blamed Tehran for attacks on Israeli targets in India, Georgia and Thailand.

The United States and the European Union bolstered sanctions against Iran after a November report by the International Atomic Energy Agency that said Iran could be developing nuclear weapons. Iran insists its program is strictly for civilian energy purposes.

On Friday, Western nations welcomed a letter from Iran offering a resumption of stalled nuclear talks, though they were still determining the Islamic republic's sincerity.

The Suez Canal is a key waterway for international trade. It connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, allowing ships to navigate between Europe and Asia without having to go around Africa. Millions of barrels of oil move through the Suez every day en route to Europe and North America.

edition.cnn.com

I don't think it strikes much fear into anyone. The Abraham Lincoln waving at you from a few hundred miles away though......

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

I don't think it strikes much fear into anyone.

suspect there is a few in Israel who's attention has been piqued .

Probably going to get the Syrian leaders and all their goodies out and back to Iran as they ain't got anywhere else to go and Bashar al assad or whatever the fok his name is days are numbered.

Originally Posted by Mid

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

I don't think it strikes much fear into anyone.

suspect there is a few in Israel who's attention has been piqued .

I doubt it. There's probably at least one person on board who's told them all about what it's got and what it's up to.

Originally Posted by Mid

The mission carries a "message of peace and friendship," a rear admiral says

Sending a warship to carry a message of peace ??

I don't think so admiral. A bit like destroying a place to ' save it '.

So fuckin what.

It's when they start pissing about with their oil anyone will take notace.

Iran has halted oil sales to British and French companies, the nation's oil ministry has said.
A spokesman was reported as saying on the ministry's website that Iran would "sell our oil to new customers".
European Union member states had earlier agreed to stop importing Iranian crude from 1 July.
The move is intended to pressure Tehran to stop enriching uranium, which can be used for civilian nuclear purposes but also to build warheads.

BBC News - Iran 'halts oil sales to France and Britain'

Good excuse to sink the warship now seeing as all wars are fought over oil these days.

Originally Posted by buriramboy

Good excuse to sink the warship now seeing as all wars are fought over oil these days.

Yes, all that Afghan oil......

^Sorry, should have read oil and opium!!!!

those Iranians need to start kicking some American ass,

Originally Posted by Hampsha

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

I don't think it strikes much fear into anyone. The Abraham Lincoln waving at you from a few hundred miles away though......

If they have chemical, biological or nuclear weapons it sure would be easier to launch them towards Israel or Europe. A war with Iran is a war to the end from the US view. Iran saw what happened to Iraq. Iran might not give a crap about what they use during a war as no one can win against the US thug these days. The US could wipe out any country in Europe without a problem. What can Iran really do other than something nuts in the event of an American attack. Everyone outside of China and Russia must submit to America these days.

Love this romance with war and militarism, don't ya?

Nothing new here, a routine delivery of nuclear weapons and missile launch systems to to Hezbolla.




US does the same every Wednesday afternoon to Haifa.

Originally Posted by Bangyai

Originally Posted by Mid

The mission carries a "message of peace and friendship," a rear admiral says

Sending a warship to carry a message of peace ??

I don't think so admiral. A bit like destroying a place to ' save it '.

In the eye's of the military it does. Don't forget that those in charge of the US nuclear missiles and bombers had the motto "peace is our profession"

America doesn't want peace, only control!

Actually, it's not really America, is it?

Originally Posted by OhOh

Nothing new here, a routine delivery of nuclear weapons and missile launch systems to to Hezbolla.




US does the same every Wednesday afternoon to Haifa.

As Israel would be nothing without it's Uncle Sugar.
So...the bottom line is: we really know who is calling the shots - regardless of the surfaced rhetoric.

wondering if the Israelis might consider doing similar to the Iranian vessels as they did to the USS Liberty. it could always be blamed on the UAE...

Originally Posted by Jesus Jones

America doesn't want peace, only control!

America needs a good kicking in the ass to teach them a lesson,

apparently Iraq and Afghanistan wasn't enough,

I'll tell you one thing, if I was Iranian I wouldn't be flying Iran Air to Dubai any time soon.

Tel Aviv receives Obama’s adviser: Decision to attack Iran is only ours
Armed forces chief Benny Gantz says Israel is ‘central guarantor of its own security’ as top US security official prepares to meet Israeli PM.
Middle East Online

By Steve Weizman – JERUSALEM

Has Iran’s ‘hubbub’ been transmitted to Israel?

Israel's armed forces chief said on Saturday that it would be for Israel to decide if it attacks Iran.
"Israel is the central guarantor of its own security," Lieutenant General Benny Gantz told state-owned Channel One TV.
"We must follow the developments in Iran and its nuclear project, but in a very broad manner, taking into account what the world is doing, what Iran decided, what we will do or not do," he said.
A top US security official was due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday amid rising concerns over Iran and ahead of a trip by the Israeli premier to Washington.
The White House has said that National Security Advisor Tom Donilon would talk to senior Israeli officials on a range of issues, including Syria. An Israeli official said he would meet Netanyahu on Sunday afternoon.
The visit comes at a time of hightened tension between Israel and Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme, and in the wake of attacks on Israeli diplomats blamed on agents of Tehran.
In recent weeks, there has been feverish speculation that Israel was getting closer to mounting a pre-emptive strike on Iran's nuclear programme, though Israel has denied reaching such a decision.
Tensions between Iran and Israel also have been simmering with Iranian warships entering the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal in a show of "might", a move Israel said it would closely monitor.
Israeli media on Sunday quoted a CNN interview with the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, in which he warns that an Israeli military strike on Iran would be "destabilising."
"It’s not prudent at this point to decide to attack Iran," the Jerusalem Post quoted him as saying in a transcript of the interview to be broadcast on Sunday.
"The US government is confident that the Israelis understand our concerns," the paper quoted Dempsey as saying.
"A strike at this time would be destabilising and wouldn’t achieve (Israel's) long-term objectives."
Former Israeli national security advisor Uzi Dayan said that Dempsey's choice of words was significant.
"I would emphasise Martin Dempsey's use of the phrase 'at this point,'" he told Israel public radio, pointing to Iran's latest offer to resume stalled nuclear talks with the five permanent UN Security Council members -- the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain -- plus Germany.
"The Israeli message to Washington is 'lets fix the Iranian nuclear threat, a threat to world peace and lets do it together. If you lead, fine. If we get pushed into a corner where it has be us... that is our obligation,'" Dayan said.
The United States, other Western powers and Israel believe that Iran is seeking to build a nuclear bomb, but Tehran denies the charge, insisting its atomic program is for purely peaceful purposes.
Donilon's visit comes ahead of a trip in early March by Netanyahu to Washington for talks with US President Barack Obama which are likely to focus on Iran and stalled peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators.
Top-selling Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot said on Sunday that US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper would visit Israel later in the week for talks with Israeli defence and intelligence officials.
Both Clapper and Donilon "plan to deliver a calming message, that even if talks are resumed with Iran, this will not be at the expense of the sanctions, which will continue to mount unless Iran puts an immediate halt to its nuclear program and allows serious supervision," the paper said.
It added that Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak would make a preparatory trip to Washington ahead of Netanyahu.

^ Couldn't agree more.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Originally Posted by buriramboy

Good excuse to sink the warship now seeing as all wars are fought over oil these days.

Yes, all that Afghan oil......

The occupation in Afghanistan is principally to secure territory for the pipelines that are in the works.

....and general empire extensions.