WAR: US Jets Over Iran, Unidentified Aircraft Ordered Shot Down, page 1
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Topic started on 2-1-2005 @ 11:11 PM by PistolPete
Recently American fighter jets have violated Iranian airspace. One a flight out of Afghanistan and another three jets based out of Iraq. The Iranian military has been closely watching occupying forces in Iraq and Afghanistan in case of a suprise invasion. The concerns that have been raised of a US or Israeli venture into Iran to destroy nuclear facilities has them on edge - and for such reasons they've issued a shoot down order for all unidentified craft.



www.payvand.com
"The three warplanes, of F-18 Hornets and F-16 Tomcats types, held overflights at high altitudes near the Khorramshahr and Abadan air borders.

"The circular maneuvering of the two American fighters indicated them as carrying out spying sorties and controlling the borders," the paper quoted the source as saying.

The report came less than a week after Iran's Air Force chief, Brigadier Karim Qavami was quoted as having ordered the forces under his command to open fire and shoot down any unidentified aircraft violating the country's air space.

"Given that the intrusion of enemy aircraft over Iran's air space is possible, all fighter jets of the country have been ordered by the Army chief to shoot them down in the event of sighting them," the daily Kayhan quoted Qavami as saying last Saturday.


Please visit the link provided for the complete story.


Hopefully the "shoot down" order is just saber rattling. What better reason would we have to take offensive actions towards Iran than a few downed fighter jets that accidently (or not) wandered over the border.

Iran is fully prepared to defend their nation making a possible military invasion look that much more difficult.

In June the Iranian Navy seized three British craft for being in Iranian territory

[edit on (1/2/0505 by PistolPete]


reply posted on 3-1-2005 @ 03:10 AM by PistolPete
Google doesn't pick up all languages and even if it did we couldn't read them. Just because something doesn't show up in a google search doesn't mean stories haven't been run on the issue. And since there have been instances cited, like the one in August and the Iranian Navy debacle in June, past events have made the scenario much more likely than unlikely.

While it doesn't do much for us: this is the Kayhan. One of the sources used in the article. Another source is the AFP, that's definitely a reputable news agency.

This is a couple days old but it's from the IRNA:

Tehran, Dec 25, IRNA -- Iran`s Air Force has been ordered to open fire
and shoot down any unidentified aircraft violating its air space, the
press on Saturday quoted Air Force chief Brigadier Karim Qavami as
saying.
"Given that the intrusion of enemy aircraft over Iran`s air space
is possible, all fighter jets of the country have been ordered by the
Army chief to shoot them down in the event of sighting them," the
daily Kayhan quoted Qavami as saying.
The Air Force chief stressed that `any flight (within Iranian air
space) must be coordinated, or else it will be targeted`, the daily
added.
Iran has been wary of the occupation forces` presence on its
doorsteps in Iraq and have had their movements under close scrutiny.
In August, press reports said that five US warplanes had entered
Iran`s air space from the southwestern Shalamcheh border and flown
over the city of Khorramshahr.
According the Persian daily Seday-e Edalat, `the jet fighters
which flew at high speed and altitude, then headed to the Arvand
River`


Another interesting bit from the Pakistan Daily Times:

TEHRAN: Iran’s air force has been ordered to shoot down any unidentified or suspicious flying objects in Iran’s airspace, an air force spokesman said on Saturday, amid state-media reports of sightings of flying objects near Iran’s nuclear installations.

“All anti-aircraft units and jet fighters have been ordered to shoot down the flying objects over Iran’s airspace,” spokesman of the Regular Army Air Force Colonel Salman Mahini said.

Flying object fever has gripped Iran after dozens of reported sightings in the summer and in recent weeks. State-run media has reported sightings of unidentified objects flying over parts of Iran where nuclear facilities are located.

“The unidentified flying objects could be satellites, comets or spying or reconnaissance crafts trying to monitor Iran’s nuclear installations,” Mahini said.

“Flights of unknown objects in the country’s airspace have increased in recent weeks ... (they) have been seen over Bushehr and Isfahan provinces,” the Resalat newspaper reported on Saturday.

There are nuclear facilities in both provinces. The timing of the reported increase in sightings, which comes as the US is urging allies to confront Iran over its nuclear program, has strengthened Iranian public perceptions that the objects are surveillance or hostile aircrafts monitoring Iran.


The reason I posted an article from a somewhat questionable site was the fact that their sources for the article were all very real news entities. It really appears something might be brewing over there. Especially in the wake of Iran's largest military drills ever.

On the subject of the planes: it didn't say that they were either or - the three planes easily could have been two of one and one of the other. It's basically a semantics argument.


reply posted on 3-1-2005 @ 03:43 AM by AceOfBase
Payvand seems like a reputable site, just look at their news articles, payvand.com...
They are nothing like Rense.com.


I think this could be used as another way to justify military action against Iran.
They could violate Iranian airspace or Iranian waters and after Iran responds, just claim that they attacked you to help gain support from the media, the public and the international community.

Just like they did with 'Operation Praire Fire' in Libya in 1986.


reply posted on 3-1-2005 @ 11:30 AM by PistolPete
Originally posted by Seekerof

Quite possibly so, but if this is simply a case of semantics, when applied to the number and type of aircraft, its not semantics that they were identified, alledged, and then reported as being U.S. though, huh? I find it rather hilarious that the sources can't identify an aircraft type, but they can identify the aircraft as being a U.S. "type" aircraft? Semantics, indeed, despite it being dubious, and highly questionable!


They did identify the aircraft type, they just called it a "Tomcat" mistakenly. That type of thing happens in the news frequently. Citing some legislator is from a wrong state, getting a first name wrong, etc. In those cases you just think "this guy should do better research", you don't call the validity of an article into question over such a thing. To top that off they are translating the original source from Farsi into English - things can easily get lost in translation.

The problem here is that these claims, as from the original article, is/are mixing "identified" with "unidentified." Let me guess, because of "the US is urging allies to confront Iran over its nuclear program," the "unidentified" incursions are partially becoming "identified," in that they are being reported as U.S. jet fighter incursions?


In the article it clearly states: " The Air Force chief stressed that 'any flight (within Iranian air space) must be coordinated, or else it will be targeted', the daily added." The planes are identifiably American planes, but are making uncoordinated (read: unidentified) flights. That's what I took from the article any way.

This source is quoting Asian News International as saying:

www.newkerala.com
Tehran, Jan. 3 : US warplanes flying out of bases in Afghanistan and Iraq have committed a string of violations of Iranian airspace, Iranian press reports said on Monday.

According to the local newspapers, the latest violation came on Saturday when a US fighter flew at low altitude over an area in the northeastern province of Khorrasan which borders Afghanistan.

According to The News, the over flight followed a recent intrusion by F-16 and F-18 fighters over the southwestern province of Khuzestan which borders southern Iraq. Papers said the planes appeared to be spying on nuclear sites.(ANI)



reply posted on 3-1-2005 @ 12:35 PM by PistolPete
The UPI and Washington Times now reporting the incidents (still with the Tomcat mistake):

Tensions continue to rise between Iran and U.S. forces based in Iraq. According to the Iranian media, a U.S. fighter violated Iranian air space on Dec. 30, along the country's border near Afghanistan in Razavi Khorassan eastern province. The intrusion is the latest in a series of U.S. overflights reported by the press. The U.S. fighter entered Iranian air space over Iran's Mousa-Abad region for several minutes before returning to Afghanistan. Earlier U.S. overflights occurred over the southwestern cities of Khorramshahr and Abadan near the Iraqi border. An Iranian military source who was not identified said, "The three warplanes, of F-18 Hornets and F-16 Tomcat types held overflights at high altitudes near the Khorramshahr and Abadan air borders. The circular maneuvering of the two American fighters indicated them as carrying out spying sorties and controlling the borders." Less than a week earlier, Iranian Air Force chief Brigadier Karim Qavami was quoted as having ordered his forces to open fire and shoot down any unidentified aircraft violating the country's airspace, commenting: "Given that the intrusion of enemy aircraft over Iran's airspace is possible, all fighter jets of the country have been ordered by the Army chief to shoot them down in the event of sighting them." In August five U.S. warplanes entered Iranian airspace from the southwestern Shalamcheh border and overflew Khorramshahr. Iranian military specialists believe the intrusions are designed to assess the capabilities of Iran's anti-aircraft defenses.


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