The War With Iran Is On - No It's Off - No It's On Again

 

The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre (UKMTO) reported late on Tuesday afternoon that it had received imformation about a tanker being hit by an Iranian drone and sustaining "minor structural damage" while passing through the  Strait of Hormuz., the gas and oil transit chokepoint at the entrance to the Persian Gulf.

The agency said no casualties or environmental impacted had been reported so far and that the vessel was "continuing to its next port of call".

Around 40 minutes earlier, UKMTO said another tanker was reportedly struck by an "unidentified projectile" in the Strait, taking "structural damage". Again no casualties have been reported, it added.

The agency is investigating the incidents and advised vessels in the area to proceed with caution.

Early on Tuesday morning, a third ship reported being hit in the region by an "unknown projectile on the port side," causing a fire, per UKMTO.

According to the agency, the ship was sailing south out of the Strait, close to Limah, Oman. Again, it said there were no recorded casualties or impacts to the environment.

Iran's Fars News Agency claimed one of the ships struck in the Strait is the Al-Ruqayat, which was targeted after allegedly ignoring IRGC navy warnings while passing through the Strait's Omani route. Tehran has said only its approved route through the Strait of HOrmuz is safe. The elite Iranian IRGC resiment did not directly claim the assault, but The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had fired at two commercial ships.

Majed Al Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar's foreign ministry, has condemned the attack on the Qatari tanker, calling it an "unacceptable attack on the security & safety of international maritime navigation".

Ansari added that the government of Qatar held Iran "fully legally responsible for this attack & for any resulting damages & consequences".

The Strait of Hormuz has been at the centre of tensions between Washington and Tehran and is a key part in the "memorandum of understanding" agreed by the two sides in June, but constant violations suggest a deal to end the war is as far off as ever

Iran had effectively closed off the Strait after the US launched military action against Iran in February, sparking chaos in global energy markets. Iran's latest violations of the fragile ceasefire come as the world waited for President Trump's response to attacks on commercial shipping at the end of last month. Many commentators opine that negotiations will collapse and full scale war will erupt again as Iran continues to weaponise the strait against The USA and Israel.

Brent crude oil rose 1.4pc to $73 a barrel following the strike, which Iranian state television said happened after the liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker ignored warnings. Crude oil and Brent is still lower than when the Iran war started and the Gas price before the Ukrainian War started. Yet our petrol is 20p a litre higher and The Energy Cap is 30% higher. We are being totally ripped off and shop prices continue to rocket dur to the transport and energy costs. The cost of living crisis is being ignored by the media but it's forcing millions into debt or poverty. 

Oil as a commodity is INCREDIBLY cheap. Just look at a 25 year timeline and take inflation into account. It is the stinking greedy Government that is milking us.

And UK's crazy 'Minister for Net Zero' Ed Miliband is hellbent on locking us into the highest electricity prices in the developed world.

FROM THE ARCHIVE: 

 

 

 

Just How Close Are We To World War Three
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EXPLORE:
[Daily Stirrer] ... [ Our Page on on Substack ]... [Boggart Aboad] ... [ Ian Thorpe at Quora ] ... [ Greenteeth Home ] ... [ Greenteeth on Minds.com ] ... [ Here Come The Russians ] ... [ Latest Posts ] ... [ Blog Bulletin ]

Military Experts Advising Trump Overlooked Iran's Mosquito Fleet - Taking Kargh Istand Is Not An Easy Option For Winning The War

 

 

A batch of unmanned speedboats for Iran's Mosquito Fleet

The Telegraph today carried a story headlined: "The tiny island of Kharg that could let Trump beat Iran without sending a single soldier," claiming to offer insight into the latest thinking of 'experts' on how to progress the war on Iran. Like most war stories it took a simplistic view of what could be a near impoosible task. 

When serious export of Iranian oil started it was soon met by a problem. Iran’s coast is relatively shallow. Big tankers have a lot of draft. It was thus troublesome for Iran’s oil industry to deliver large loads of crude oil to big ships.

The answer to this problem was Kargh Island a tiny, flat, featureless islet surrounded by  deep water, some 15 miles off the Iranian coast. The government in Tehran, incollaboration with the oil companies built a termina able to load very large crude oil carrying vessels on the island. Today  90% of all Iran's petroleum products are handled by the Kargh Island Terminal.

For decades dimwit American politicians and military leaders have dreamed of fetching Kharg to thereby get control over Iran’s oil production: In an interview with a British newspaper back in 1988, an up-and-coming New York property mogul named Donald Trump was asked about his plans for the future. 

Never one to be lost for words he, boasted that he might one day run for president and vowed to win back “respect” for America on the world stage. He also had stern words for  the theocratic regime of Iran’s Islamic Republic, already a sworn enemy of America in the wake of the 1979 US hostage crisis.

“They’ve been beating us psychologically, making us look a bunch of fools,” Trump told The Guardian. “One bullet shot at one of our men or ships, and I’d do a number on Kharg Island. I’d go in and take it.”

Several figures of the current Trump administration have likewise opined that the taking of Kharg would give the U.S. a hold over all Iranian oil exports – now and in future.

However  the American leadership is skirting some serious optic problems which have  been vastly underplayed in US & western media, and so are effectively unknown to the population at large. These factors point to a long war, energy shortage and a global economic crisis.

 JCOS (Joint Chiefs of Staff) Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, yesterday emphasized three U.S. objectives in Iran: destroying Iranian ballistic missile and drone capability, striking ‘deeper into Iran’s military and industrial base’ and continuing to decimate Iran’s navy to allow maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.”
 
Aside from Iran’s Navy being far from the sole obstacle effecting Hormuz Maritime traffic, the Pentagon must eventually deal with the presumed destruction of all or most of their regional bases – which, again, few people outside government and the military know anything about. 

Kargh Island for example is too close to the mainland to be taken easily, modern shore based artillery located many miles back from the coast could easily reach ships attacking the island. Hormuz, already partly blocked by Irainan Navy ships sunk by US and Israeli bombing raids is effectivly closed to shipping from hostile states and could remain so for many months, causing prolonged chaos in the global economy Iran was never going to be a pushover.

And in both cases there is an even more deadly threat to the naval personnel manning the ships inolved in leading the allied advance. Iran has developed, or rather revived, an unconventional naval strategy known as the “Mosquito Fleet.” Instead of relying only on large warships to defend its waters, Tehran has focused on builing a fleet of hundreds — possibly thousands — of small, high-speed attack boats designed to challenge much larger naval forces in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. 

The term “Mosquito Fleet” refers to a large number of small, fast, heavily armed boats operated mainly by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGC Navy). These boats are: Equipped with anti-ship missiles, Capable of speeds between 50 to 110 knots (approximately 90–200 km/h,), Small enough to maneuver quickly and approach larger vessels. Because of their speed and size, they can rapidly close in on larger warships, launch missiles, and retreat before facing a full counterattack. 

Iran’s Mosquito Fleet strategy is specifically designed to exploit the vulnerabilities of a billion-dollar carrier like the USS Abraham Lincoln. Shore based Iranian commanders conceal large groups of these fast-attack crafts in civilian fishing ports, specialised underground maritime bases carved into the Persian Gulf cliffs, and even simple truck trailers.
 
These vessels can be wheeled out, launched from a random beach, and begin attacking a tanker or destroyer within minutes. The U.S. cannot target every garage along a 1,300-mile coastline. Iran possesses thousands of these boats, many of which are now unmanned kamikaze vessels packed with hundreds of kilograms of explosives.
 
While a U.S. destroyer’s Aegis combat system may be one of the best in the world, it has its limits. If 50 boats attack from 50 different directions simultaneously, the ship’s guns simply can’t pivot quickly enough to engage them all. It only takes one boat getting through to cause a USS Cole-type disaster.
 
A U.S. Hellfire missile costs approximately $150,000, while a single Iranian speedboat may only cost about $20,000. If the U.S. has to fire 500 missiles to stop a swarm, they end up spending millions to destroy plastic boats. Iran can produce these vessels faster than the U.S. can manufacture high-tech missiles.
 
Trump and Wright both made high-profile claims regarding naval escorts and unblocking the Strait of Hormuz. When Wright deleted his post and the Navy confirmed that no escort occurred, it sent a clear signal to the markets and Tehran that the U.S. is currently unable or unwilling to enter the kill zone of the narrow straits. 

Game and second set to Iran.

 FROM THE ARCHIVE: 

Just How Close Are We To World War Three
Have you read or heard in your news supplier of choice of the recent massive troop movements in Israel, the massive build up of British, French and American warships around the approaches to the Persian gulf or just how badly the situations in Egypt and Libya have deteriorated since ...

Irony Overload: Iran Warns Obama Not To Cross Red Lines
the United States concluded an agreement with Iran which lifted US and International sanctions in return for Islamic Shi'ite Republic agreeing to limit their nuclear ability. At a high level, the US would lead the way in lifting oil and financial sanctions imposed due to Iran’s nuclear programs; in return Iran would reduce their stockpile of enriched uranium,

"West's War In Syria Is Part Of A Global war Waged By The USA And Its Dupes Allies Against Russia"
Arthur Foxake brings us a brilliant analysis of the geopolitical picture from the black Sea and Middle East, but ahead of the embed window we get a few of Arthur's own thoughts on the situation

Labour leader Corbyn rejects bombing Syria, blames BRITAIN and the US for the rise of ISIS: because it will spark more ‘mayhem’
Though the story is from The Daily Mail which, we expect to be one of the new Labour leader's greatest critics, it's good to see Mainstream Media actually reporting one of the things Jezza is getting right. Obviously he reads The Daily Stirrer because we've been saying since ISIS were pulled out of ...

How Hillary Clinton Planned The Syrian Holocaust We bring you evidence that the destruction of Syria was planned by the USA and Israel long before the US engineered 'spontaneous uprising'known as The Arab Spring ...

Another Obama Sponsored Genocide - not Alawi or Christians In Syria but Yazidi in Iraq.
While the west has been distracted by events in Gaza and Ukraine, and the neo - fascist 'left' have suddenly discovered the joys of anti Russianism and anti Semitism, the FUKUS axis sponsored genocidists of ISIS have discovered another inoffensive minority to exterminate now that the Syriac Christians have fled.

More Than ISIS, Iraq’s Sunni Insurgency
The story emerging in Iraq is of another American foreign policy fuck up, a total misreading of the situation by the world's most parochial global power. By December 2013, Sunni leaders had become tired of the jihadi group the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) actions in their areas and publicly supported the Iraq government’s military campaign against the group’s bases. Unfortunately the ISIS rebels were armed with US military technology and Obama was calling for the resignation of the government in Baghdad, prompting Russia and Iran to support them ...

Poison Gas Used In Syria Sparks Calls For Western Military Invasion
Claims circulating in Washington, London and Brussels that chemical weapons have been used in the Syrian conflict have prompted less conspiracy theories and more intelligent discussion that we might expect. Even so commentators in mainstream media have divided into two opposing camps – those who believe that President Obama's failure to ...

Islamic Cleric Announces Fatwah Allowing The Legal Rape Of Syrian Women By Anti Assad Rebels

An Islamic cleric has pronounced a fatwa that permits US-backed FSA rebels to rape non-Sunni women in Syria as part of a "sexual jihad" that has so far involved girls as young as 14 being transported to remote areas of the country to service the needs of ...

France sends more troops to Mali as UN backs intervention

A contingent of 750 French troops has joined the offensive against Islamist rebels in Mali, French president Francois Hollande said in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday after France secured fresh UN backing for its military action

Over 4000 Civilians Have Died In Forgotten War. As attention has focused on Syria ans then on the efforts of the Obama administration, in its dying months, to avenge the defeat of the anointed successor Hillary Clinton and discredit the election victor and President - elect Donald Trump, and simultaneously demonize Russia and President Putin I Would Do anything To Get Assad Out Of Syria Says Cameron
Syrian president Bashar Assad could be allowed a free pass to flee his country if it would end the bloodshed, David Cameron said today. The Prime Minister said he would do ‘anything to get that man [Assad] out of the country’ but refused to offer Assad a safe haven in Britain. Mr Cameron is on the second day of ...

Will Egypt Seize Libya For Its Oil

If the conflict in Syria, currently showing signs of spreading to Turkey, Iraq and Kurdistan were to escalate into a regional war, a proxy for east and west to butt heads without sustaining too much domestic damage, is Egypt likely to take advantage of the distraction and

EXPLORE:
[Daily Stirrer] ... [ Our Page on on Substack ]... [Boggart Aboad] ... [ Ian Thorpe at Quora ] ... [ Greenteeth Home ] ... [ Greenteeth on Minds.com ] ... [ Here Come The Russians ] ... [ Latest Posts ] ... [ Blog Bulletin ]

Iran Carries Out Threat To Close Strait Of Hormuz And Disrupt Global Oil Traffic.

 

 

A European Union communique said on Sunday that vessels have been receiving VHF transmission from Iran's Revolutionary Guards saying "no ship is allowed to pass the Strait of Hormuz".

The strait is the world's most vital oil export route, which connects the biggest Gulf oil producers, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

The official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said Iran had not formally confirmed any such order. Tehran has for years threatened to block the narrow Hormuz waterway in retaliation for any attack on the Islamic Republic. 

The latest Automatic Identification System (AIS) vessel-tracking data, via Bloomberg, shows that tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has been paralyzed, with only a few tankers still transiting the critical maritime energy chokepoint.

Though the USA claims to have disabled more than half the Iranian Navy The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened today to set fire to any ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, according to state media.

Around 30 per cent of the world’s oil travels through the narrow shipping lane, bordered by Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, each day and around 30,000 boats pass through it each year.

Prior to the IRGC’s announcement, tankers were still moving through the Strait but in much smaller numbers, with 150 vessels anchored just outside its mouth.

Three vessels were hit off the coast of Oman, although the circumstances remained unclear. However  maritime sources confirm the oil tanker Athen Nova stopped in the Strait of Hormuz after being reportedly struck by two drones launched by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

Swiss bank UBS advised clients that "Iran's Revolutionary Guards commander said the Strait of Hormuz is closed and they will set any ship on fire that tries to pass through, Reuters reports, citing Iranian media. WTI crude oil is now up more than 7% following the headlines."

Bloomberg Headlined:

• IRGC ADVISER SAYS WON'T LET OIL LEAVE REGION: IRAN STATE TV

However, the loss of IRGC naval power should not lead investors to discount the regime's asymmetric capabilities, such as using missiles and drones to target tankers in the narrow waterway. 

Oil prices had already surged before the closure of the Strait, with Brent crude oil jumping 13 per cent to around $82 (£61) a barrel when markets opened on Sunday night. The increase took prices to a seven-month high. Coming so soon after Trump's 'regime alteration act in Venezuela disrupted tanker traffic from that oil exporting nation, this latest development is likely to cause a global crisis.

Iran has continued striking targets across the Gulf in response to a military campaign by the US and Israel, which killed Ali Khamenei, the Iranian supreme leader, on Saturday. Having already struck well defended US Naval and air bases in the gulf region, the Iranians have shown through the effectiveness of their lo tech drones that loss of marine power will not prevent them closing the strait.

FROM THE ARCHIVE: 

Just How Close Are We To World War Three
Have you read or heard in your news supplier of choice of the recent massive troop movements in Israel, the massive build up of British, French and American warships around the approaches to the Persian gulf or just how badly the situations in Egypt and Libya have deteriorated since ...

Irony Overload: Iran Warns Obama Not To Cross Red Lines
the United States concluded an agreement with Iran which lifted US and International sanctions in return for Islamic Shi'ite Republic agreeing to limit their nuclear ability. At a high level, the US would lead the way in lifting oil and financial sanctions imposed due to Iran’s nuclear programs; in return Iran would reduce their stockpile of enriched uranium,

"West's War In Syria Is Part Of A Global war Waged By The USA And Its Dupes Allies Against Russia"
Arthur Foxake brings us a brilliant analysis of the geopolitical picture from the black Sea and Middle East, but ahead of the embed window we get a few of Arthur's own thoughts on the situation

Labour leader Corbyn rejects bombing Syria, blames BRITAIN and the US for the rise of ISIS: because it will spark more ‘mayhem’
Though the story is from The Daily Mail which, we expect to be one of the new Labour leader's greatest critics, it's good to see Mainstream Media actually reporting one of the things Jezza is getting right. Obviously he reads The Daily Stirrer because we've been saying since ISIS were pulled out of ...

How Hillary Clinton Planned The Syrian Holocaust We bring you evidence that the destruction of Syria was planned by the USA and Israel long before the US engineered 'spontaneous uprising'known as The Arab Spring ...

Another Obama Sponsored Genocide - not Alawi or Christians In Syria but Yazidi in Iraq.
While the west has been distracted by events in Gaza and Ukraine, and the neo - fascist 'left' have suddenly discovered the joys of anti Russianism and anti Semitism, the FUKUS axis sponsored genocidists of ISIS have discovered another inoffensive minority to exterminate now that the Syriac Christians have fled.

More Than ISIS, Iraq’s Sunni Insurgency
The story emerging in Iraq is of another American foreign policy fuck up, a total misreading of the situation by the world's most parochial global power. By December 2013, Sunni leaders had become tired of the jihadi group the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) actions in their areas and publicly supported the Iraq government’s military campaign against the group’s bases. Unfortunately the ISIS rebels were armed with US military technology and Obama was calling for the resignation of the government in Baghdad, prompting Russia and Iran to support them ...

Poison Gas Used In Syria Sparks Calls For Western Military Invasion
Claims circulating in Washington, London and Brussels that chemical weapons have been used in the Syrian conflict have prompted less conspiracy theories and more intelligent discussion that we might expect. Even so commentators in mainstream media have divided into two opposing camps – those who believe that President Obama's failure to ...

Islamic Cleric Announces Fatwah Allowing The Legal Rape Of Syrian Women By Anti Assad Rebels

An Islamic cleric has pronounced a fatwa that permits US-backed FSA rebels to rape non-Sunni women in Syria as part of a "sexual jihad" that has so far involved girls as young as 14 being transported to remote areas of the country to service the needs of ...

France sends more troops to Mali as UN backs intervention

A contingent of 750 French troops has joined the offensive against Islamist rebels in Mali, French president Francois Hollande said in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday after France secured fresh UN backing for its military action

Over 4000 Civilians Have Died In Forgotten War. As attention has focused on Syria ans then on the efforts of the Obama administration, in its dying months, to avenge the defeat of the anointed successor Hillary Clinton and discredit the election victor and President - elect Donald Trump, and simultaneously demonize Russia and President Putin I Would Do anything To Get Assad Out Of Syria Says Cameron
Syrian president Bashar Assad could be allowed a free pass to flee his country if it would end the bloodshed, David Cameron said today. The Prime Minister said he would do ‘anything to get that man [Assad] out of the country’ but refused to offer Assad a safe haven in Britain. Mr Cameron is on the second day of ...

Will Egypt Seize Libya For Its Oil

If the conflict in Syria, currently showing signs of spreading to Turkey, Iraq and Kurdistan were to escalate into a regional war, a proxy for east and west to butt heads without sustaining too much domestic damage, is Egypt likely to take advantage of the distraction and

EXPLORE:
[Daily Stirrer] ... [ Our Page on on Substack ]... [Boggart Aboad] ... [ Ian Thorpe at Quora ] ... [ Greenteeth Home ] ... [ Greenteeth on Minds.com ] ... [ Here Come The Russians ] ... [ Latest Posts ] ... [ Blog Bulletin ]