Excerpt: "Warships from around the world were assembling in the Gulf on Sunday for what the U.S. military described as the most widely attended international naval exercise ever held in the Middle East."
This handout photo released by the U.S. Navy, 5th Fleet, shows USS Navy mine counter measure ships, from right to left, USS Dextrous, USS Sentry, USS Devastator and USS Pioneer get in line to conduct an astern replenishment-at-sea. (photo: AP/U.S. Navy)
U.S. and Allies to Hold Gulf Military Exercise
17 September 12
arships from around the world were assembling in the Gulf on Sunday for what the U.S. military described as the most widely attended international naval exercise ever held in the Middle East.
The exercise, which Washington says involves manoeuvres to improve mine detection and clearance, comes at a time of rising regional tensions over Iran's controversial nuclear programme.
Tehran has threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, through which 40 percent of the world's sea-borne oil exports passes, and target U.S. military bases in the region if it was attacked.
The U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said that the International Mine Countermeasures Exercise 12 involved vessels and officials from 30 countries in six continents. It did not name the participating nations.
"This exercise is about mines and the international effort to clear them," said Vice Admiral John W. Miller, Commander of the Central Command, in a statement on its website.
"Represented here are the best of our individual countries' efforts dedicated to securing the global maritime commons and I look forward to seeing how this exceptional team of professionals moves forward."
The West and Israel believe Iran is seeking an atomic weapon, while Tehran says its work is for peaceful purposes.
Israel, concerned international sanctions have not stopped Iran's programme, has been pushing Washington to spell out limits Tehran must not cross if it is to avoid military action - something U.S. President Barack Obama has refused to do.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Sunday that Iran was just six to seven months away from the brink of being able to build a nuclear bomb, adding urgency to his demand that Obama set a "red line" for Tehran.
Obama has asked Netanyahu to hold off on any Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear sites to give sanctions and diplomacy time to work.
The official U.S. Navy News Service said last month that Washington was cutting short home leave for the crew of one of its aircraft carriers and sending them back to the Middle East to counter any threat from Iran.
The Central Command said the Gulf exercise was starting on Sunday with a meeting for senior commanders when they would view the latest mine hunting and disposal inventions. In the second phase, sea manoeuvres would be held including mine detection and clearance operations.
The Bahrain-based Central Command is responsible for an area comprising some 2.5 million square miles stretching from the Gulf to parts of the Indian Ocean.
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Comments
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My second thought is Israel has lost any respect I had for them.
Israel sure; UK? ---anybody else???
This is what the U.S. is. Sound familiar with the exercises with South Korea on the North Korean border? Nothing but threats and bullying. How about Jeju island? All those "lily pads" and new military bases. I can't imagine anyone being surprised by this.
Why is there seemingly so much hate against Israel when they don't do half the stuff against Muslims or others that Muslims do ? I really do not get some of the left here ?
ATTACK THE COUNTRY THAT SHARES YOUR VALUES AND SUPPORT THE MOST CORRUPT DESPOTIC REGIMES IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD WHO HAVE TURNED ISLAM INTO AN ARMY.
Go figure, some of you have no idea !
US Leads Unprecedented War Games Exercise in Strait of Hormuz ...
news.antiwar.com/.../us-leads-unprecedented-war-games-exerc...– The aggression show of force is the biggest such military exercise ever taken in the Persian Gulf, escalating tensions in an uneasy region ..
Why we do not call it preparation for war against Iran?
"If Iran is indeed moving toward nuclear-weapons capability - this is still unknown to U.S. intelligence - that may be because it is "inspired to do so" by the U.S.-Israeli threats, regularly issued in explicit violation of the U.N. Charter"
...Netanyahu warned on Sunday that Iran was just six to seven months away from the brink of BEING ABLE to build a nuclear bomb ...
..Israel resorts to violence at will. It persists in illegal settlement in occupied territory, some annexed, all in brazen defiance of international law and the U.N. Security Council. It has repeatedly carried out brutal attacks against Lebanon and the imprisoned people of Gaza, killing tens of thousands without credible pretext.
I am being ABLE to ..name the crime ... is this a crime?
World trusts more Iran than Netanyahu. ALL the American wars in the Middle East from 1950 were fought on behalf of Israel. How Iran threatens USA interest? How many Iranian war ships are in the Gulf of Mexico? How many US soldiers/war ships are in the (around) Persian Gulf?
I agree with you, in fact I think a lot of the left is being manipulated and turned off by right-wingers coming in here and trying to foment hate.
The Left should love Israel and the effort of the US and West to bring human rights to the brutally corrupt countries of the middle east and beyond - we just need to be smarter and more efficient about it.
"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Sunday that Iran was just six to seven months away from the brink of being able to build a nuclear bomb"
Netanyahoo has been saying Iran is close to building a nuclear bomb ever since 1992. He is obsessed with driving the US into a war against Iran. If Netanyahoo is so determined to start a war, why doesn't he do it himself. Israel has one of the most powerful armies in the world. It has 400+ nuclear bombs. Go for it Nettie. What are you afraid of.
This who military exercise is just too provocative to make any sense. No decent group of nations would parade their military hardware right off the coast of another nation, if they did not intend to provoke something. This is terrible judgment on Obama's part. Any nation participating in this obscene display of killing power should be ashamed.
The US and its "allies" are trying to back Iran into a corner and he hope Iran will do something that appears to give teh pretext to start a way. Is this any way for decent nations to act? Hell no. Where is the UN. Why don't we have both General Assemblya and Security Council resolutions condemning the aggression of the US and its allies.
All the neo-cons and this includes Netanyahoo who is a charter member of the American neo-con group are salivating at the chance to start a war against Iran. They just don't care that starting a war is according to the Nuremberg Principles the worst crime any human can ever commit because it leads to all other crimes. They really do want to destroy Iran and bomb it back into the stone ages, just as they have done to Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan, parts of Sudan, Syria, and others.
Iran is not like the previous nations they've destroyed. Iran is 75 million people. It is wealthy and somewhat well armed. It can fight back while all the other nations really could not fight back. Israel may suffer big losses. Netanyahoo does not care. He would welcome Israeli martyrs. They would push him to fight harder.
I just hope sanity prevails. The real criminally insane people of the world -- i.e., the neo-cons -- are on the rampage again.
civil war that US (Obama/Clinton) started in Libya, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon ... Africa .. is much worse crime - killing will last for generations
"The chief of Iran’s nuclear program says the power lines to his nuclear facilities were sabotaged. U.S. Special Forces have trained for operations inside Iran for years. Do these latest disclosures suggest they are already on the ground?"
No surprise there.
North Korea, Iran or Afghanistan..) In the Arab world, Iran is disliked but seen as a threat only by a very small minority. Rather, Israel and the U.S. are regarded as the pre-eminent threat. A majority think that the region would be more secure if Iran had nuclear weapons: In Egypt on the eve of the Arab Spring, 90 percent held this opinion, according to Brookings Institution/Zog by International poll
Israel is a militarised state that has a large arsenal of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, and refuses to sign the Nuclear Non-proliferati on Treaty (NPT). In addition to its occupation of Palestinian land, Israel continues to illegally occupy Syrian and Lebanese lands
Iran by contrast, has joined the community of nations -- the non-aligned community of nations -- and has played a very responsible role. Iran is a conservative and religious nation but it is evolving in a progressive direction. 50% of college students are women.
Israel by contrast began as a liberal socialist state but has been evolving in a religious fundamentalist and gangster capitalist direction. Israel is a leader is supplying weapons to conflicts in Africa, it is a leader in the blood diamond trade (other blood minerals, too), Israel grows more racist over time.
I hope Israel will get rid of Netanyahoo and the Likud party and change. I hope it will become more like Iran.
Tell us how one can trust a government such as the U.S. that beats the shit out of non-violent demonstrators, incarcerates them, breaks into their homes, tasers and tear gasses them, attacks sovereign nations on a lie, spies on its own citizens, incarcerates them indefinitely with out legal recourse, herds them into cattle corrals when legally demonstrating or protesting, choreographs elections and steals votes, etc. out the wazoo.
If you want to vilify a nation for civil right grievances, jump on the U.S.
And THAT country supports Israel.
Oh, and how can you verify that it was Hezbollah who attacked innocents, and not the CIA?
The film/cartoon is a filthy and primitive work of incitement of the kind that was once used to justify discrimination against, and extermination of, European Jews.
If you want war with Iran, join the military and have at it. Hope you enjoy killing thousands of innocents in the name of control and bigotry choreographed by Israel.
Oh, and you didn't answer my questions.
"Authorities continue to shut down [Iranian]newspa pers and target journalists and bloggers. On September 5 the Ministry of Islamic Culture and Guidance’s Press Supervisory Board shut down the weekly Shahrvand (Citizen) and daily Ruzegar (Time) for insulting the authorities and “propaganda against the state,”
So if you intend to demonstrate against the state in that wonderful free country, I would advise you carry a tooth brush and clean underware because you are going to spend a long time behind bars.
I realize you see the CIA everywhere ,but the Argentine government itself investigated the bombing and placed blame on Hezbollah and Iran. I know your politcal activities have placed you on the hit list of Mossad ,CIA, FBI, Scotland Yard,etc.but man try to get a grip on yourself. A long rest in bastion of freedom called Iran would be fine. I assume your not gay.
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