Are we hours away from war with Iran??

Originally posted by Bugman82
Blair's newest message to the people:
news.bbc.co.uk...

Iran's newest message to the people:
www.cnn.com...

The UK is upping the anti a bit while Iran is trying to ease a bit of the tension. I just hope Iran doesn't do anything terribly stupid, and the moderates are able to make most of the decisions concerning the British troops.

I dont believe a word of what Iran is telling us. They can easily twist the truth because nobody from the outside is allowed to have contact with them. The fact remains that these 15 sailors are demanded to be returned, at once. No matter if they are treated well or not, that is beside the point.

I hope Iran is aware that the longer they hold them (no matter what they do to to ease the tension) the bigger the tension gets. They caught 15 sailors, and now they must be returned, it's as simple as that. I really hope that they dont hold them for a day or two longer, because time is running out.

And that is what worries me. I summed up the developments needed to make a diplomatic deal, and they are still far from even talking about their fates. I really wonder what is going to follow, we dont know Iran's intentions of what to do with these sailors yet. If it is proven that they were captured from Iraq waters, it makes matters even worse. You could call that an incursion, and capture/kidnapping of your troops.

Originally posted by Mammoth
I hope Iran is aware that the longer they hold them (no matter what they do to to ease the tension) the bigger the tension gets. They caught 15 sailors, and now they must be returned, it's as simple as that. I really hope that they dont hold them for a day or two longer, because time is running out.

Today, the US naval is carrying out a show of force within the Gulf. Off the coast of the Iran.

Again, I feel today is the last day of diplomacy.

Yes, I agree that anything Iran says must be taken with a grain of salt (or shouldn't be listened to at all for that matter).

There are two distinct political sides in Iran. The moderates and the radicals. I'm just hoping the moderates have the most say in the matter when push comes to shove. If not things will go badly and there may not be hope of diplomatic recovery. Iran radicals want to put the sailors on trial for espionage.

The radicals control the national bodies, with the moderates have a large say in local areas.

Thats the problem this time. Last time we were dealing with a moderate government with contacts to the top of their government, now we are dealing with radicals.

Just found this on Rense, seems we are getting ready for something big, people are getting nervous

Russian Intel Sees US Military Buildup On Iran border

www.rense.com...

Originally posted by thedigirati
Just found this on Rense, seems we are getting ready for something big, people are getting nervous

Russian Intel Sees US Military Buildup On Iran border

www.rense.com...

Although it is Rense, it is something to bear in mind. I have my salt container on standby though.

Originally posted by stumason
Although it is Rense, it is something to bear in mind. I have my salt container on standby though.

yeah,

but if there was a build up, some crediable sources would be showing it too.

Originally posted by infinite

Originally posted by stumason
Although it is Rense, it is something to bear in mind. I have my salt container on standby though.

yeah,

but if there was a build up, some crediable sources would be showing it too.

That would depend on if we wanted to broadcast it. If Russian news outlets carry it, but Western one's don't even give it a sniff, that takes away the credibility as it just looks like another random article in Russian press.

If the BBC picked up on it and started causing a fuss, that would tell the Iranians that they should be watchful

Also, bear in mind, that d-notices can be slapped on UK outlets and part of getting a d-notice is that it cannot even be mentioned that the story was blocked, ergo, no-one can even talk about it the story being censored, let alone the story itself.

i've got it on Russia Today (Russian TV Channel on Skynews)

just a lot of anti-American stuff, nothing about Iran.

Operation Praying Mantis

The 1988 US/Iranian naval conlict in Persian Gulf lasted one day...I think it's safe to speculate that the next one, should it occur, could go a bit longer.

Operation Praying Mantis was the April 18, 1988 action waged by U.S. naval forces in retaliation for the Iranian mining of the Persian Gulf and the subsequent damage to an American warship.

On April 14, the guided missile frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts struck a mine while sailing in the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Earnest Will, the 1987-88 convoy missions in which U.S. warships escorted reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers to protect them from Iranian attacks. The explosion put a 25-foot hole in the Roberts' hull and nearly sank it. But the crew saved their ship with no loss of life, and Roberts was towed to Dubai on April 16.

After the mining, U.S. Navy divers recovered other mines in the area. When the serial numbers were found to match those of mines seized along with the Iran Ajr the previous September, U.S. military officials planned a retaliatory operation against Iranian targets in the Gulf.

The battle, the largest for American surface forces since World War II,[1] sank two Iranian warships and as many as six armed speedboats. It also marked the first surface-to-surface missile engagement in U.S. Navy history.

The attack by the U.S. helped pressure Iran to agree to a ceasefire with Iraq later that summer, ending the eight-year conflict between the Persian Gulf neighbors.

Full text Wiki: en.wikipedia.org...


Peace &
Good fortune
OBE1

Originally posted by OBE1
Operation Praying Mantis

The 1988 US/Iranian naval conlict in Persian Gulf lasted one day...I think it's safe to speculate that the next one, should it occur, could go a bit longer.

Operation Praying Mantis was the April 18, 1988 action waged by U.S. naval forces in retaliation for the Iranian mining of the Persian Gulf and the subsequent damage to an American warship.

Nice find OBE

Though that time it was Ayatollah Khomeini in charge and at least he was sane if not misguided...

Now we have a complete mad man at the helm of Iran...Mahmoud Ahmadinejad...

I have read articles about how Mahmoud Ahmadinejad believes this is the end times...

Iran, Arming for Armageddon

Everyone knows where Iran's nuclear weapons will be aimed. Everyone knows they will be put on Shahab rockets, which have been modified so that they can reach Israel. And everyone knows that if the button is ever pushed, it will be the end of Israel.

But it gets worse. The president of a country about to go nuclear is a confirmed believer in the coming apocalypse. Like Judaism and Christianity, Shiite Islam has its own version of the messianic return -- the reappearance of the Twelfth Imam. The more devout believers in Iran pray at the Jamkaran mosque, which houses a well from which, some believe, he will emerge.

Source: www.washingtonpost.com

And now we have this...

UK ready to produce Iran evidence

The government is preparing to release photographic evidence to support its assertion that 15 UK sailors seized by Iran were not in Iranian waters.

The BBC's Nick Robinson says the government is ready to switch from private to public diplomacy with Iran.

Tony Blair has talked of a "different phase" of the dispute and hinted at a more aggressive diplomatic approach.
Source: BBC NEWS

Looks like we are coming down to it...

My assessment of the Iranian actions so far lead me to conclude that our service men discovered something on that boat... a discovery so incriminating that it would have sparked something HUGE...

That is why Iran is not letting these people go because they know something that Iran doesn't want the west to discover....

That puts them in a rather difficult position...

This looks like it's about to get very ugly very quickly, I am seriously considering taking an extended leave of absence from my job here in London and heading into the country for a while.

All the best people,

NeoN HaZe.

[edit on 28-3-2007 by Neon Haze]

"Regarding the SAS, im not sure about a snatch team being sent in. Its more likely that we will strike their nuclear facility and other military targets"

Yep we sure will, but we NEVER leave troops behind and you can bet your bottom dollar that when the missiles go in, so will special forces to get these 15 out.. Missiles are the perfect diversion to initiate a special forces insertion.

I would not be surprised in the least if SAS where already within a mile of where these guys are being held, just waiting on the go go go.

Its common sense really, if we do strike Iran, then whats stopping a quick call to the guards holding them telling them to dispose of these 15 in retaliation? A snatch team will go in..

WOW what a coincedence the powers that be have been talking the chances of war up with Iran for a couple of years now (at least) gives us proles a chance to get used to the idea and now lo and behold some of our troops go into disputed waters and get snatched. Now we have a reason to cause trouble, test our latest weaponary etc!!

PLANNED FROM THE START, I'D SAY.

Originally posted by OBE1
Operation Praying Mantis

The 1988 US/Iranian naval conlict in Persian Gulf lasted one day...I think it's safe to speculate that the next one, should it occur, could go a bit longer.


Peace &
Good fortune
OBE1

It should be noted that, that was the largest Naval engagement since WWII.

ATTN NEON: Been meaning to tell you this, I can still see the text in your sig with dark mode

news.bbc.co.uk...

Sounds like displomatic measures will be pressed. I don't think any military action would take place unless Iran did something stupid that involved harming the sailors.

It's funny how Iran's original coordinates they used to prove the ship was in Iranian waters still placed the merchant ship in Iraqi waters. After the UK pointed this out Iran changed the coordinates again......

[edit on 28-3-2007 by Bugman82]

Originally posted by crisko

ATTN NEON: Been meaning to tell you this, I can still see the text in your sig with dark mode

Really??

How strange...

The Font is the exact same colour as the dark matter back ground, So the only people that should be able to read it are the ones using the light mode...

Anyone else using Dark mode can view the message in my sig??

Thanks.

NeoN HaZe.

I can read it in both modes.

Originally posted by Shar
I can read it in both modes.

Which browser are you guys using... cause in IE 7 it's invisible to all those except the light moders.

Perhaps you could give me a screen shot of what it looks like on your machine and I will make the relivant alterations.

Thanks again...

Back to the topic at hand..

This just released... UK reveals Iran dispute evidence

Video of the UK's Deputy Chief of Defence Staff at a news conference

The Royal Navy says satellite data proves 15 personnel being held in Iran were 1.7 nautical miles inside Iraqi waters when they were seized.
Vice Admiral Charles Style said the sailors were "ambushed" after the search of a vessel and that their detention was "unjustified and wrong".

Prime Minister Tony Blair told the Commons it was now time to "ratchet up" diplomatic pressure on Iran.

Source: BBC NEWS

And I would agree that our special forces are already in Iran and are awaiting the green light.

All the best,

NeoN HaZe.

[edit on 28-3-2007 by Neon Haze]

No links yet, but UK Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett has not long announced that all UK business ties with Iran are frozen until the matter is at an end.

Now it is being updated

news.sky.com...
The foreign secretary later announced that all official business with Iran had been suspended until the crisis was resolved.