Israel, US lack capacity to start new crisis

[Liberty4Free]

Well I think the US does with the wars in Iraq and Afganistan, but I'm not sure about Israel. But maybe this is just more Iranian propaganda.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=63428&sectionid=351020101

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki says Israel and the United States lack the capacity to start a new military crisis in the region.

"If the US and Israel opt for military action on Iran, we will give them a crushing response," Mottaki told IRNA in the northern Iranian port city of Bandar Gaz on Friday.

In early July, foreign media released reports of a possible strike against Iran's nuclear facilities following an Israeli military maneuver off the southern Mediterranean Island of Crete.

He stressed that Iran is fully prepared to defend its principles and its territorial integrity, citing the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-88, which, among other things, helped Iran achieve self-sufficiency in its military industries.

Israel continues to face the consequences of its 2006 war against Lebanon, while the US has no capacity to start a new crisis in the Persian Gulf, Mottaki said.

The US and Israeli claim that Iran intends to build nuclear bombs but Iranian officials have repeatedly stressed that as a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iran is legally entitled to acquire and develop nuclear technology for civilian purposes.

"The recent successful war games by Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and the test-firing of advanced Iranian-made missiles showed the potential and capacity of the Islamic Republic and its scientists," the Iranian foreign minister added.

The IRGC test-fired new long and medium-range missiles on Wednesday on the second day of an extensive military exercise dubbed The Great Prophet III in response to recent threats from the US and Israel.

The test included the upgraded Shahab 3 missile that can hit any target within a range of 2,000 kilometers and is equipped with a one-ton conventional warhead.

Nine highly advanced missiles with improved accuracy were also tested Wednesday, including the Zelzal and Fateh missiles with ranges of 400 and 170 kilometers respectively.

“It was an honor for Iran's military researchers and industrialists to have made such remarkable progress,” Mottaki continued.

 

[LiveFree79]

Well it depends. We are most definitely stretched too thin to get into any kind of drawn out skirmish with Iran that would require any type of groud force. I would even go so far as to say we are stretched too thin for anything other than dropping a few bombs. But then again we have plenty of fleets sitting idle waiting for something to do. And I'm sure our nuclear subs would love to grease their wheels as well. Nothing good can come from anything having to do with an attack on Iran even if soley carried out by Israel. Even if Israel just drops a few bombs and destroys Iran's nuclear reactors don't think for a second Iran doesn't have a plan in place to somehow someway cut off oil through the strait of Hormuz. That alone will have repercussions through the civilized world. I have a feeling Iran will be attacked sooner rather than later. Possibly as early as end of August. But that's just my opinion.

 

[Zippyjuan]

We can start it, but as LiveFree79 says, we do have enough planes and missiles. We just don't have enough available to follow up on anything. The cheapest responce by Iran and one that would hurt us the most would be to shut down the Strait of Hormuz and cut off the flow of 20% of the world's oil supply. They have done that before. They don't have to match us militarily. It would be foolish of us to attack them. That would also play into the hands of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who is facing political challenges in Iran and could lose his position in their election early next year. His party has been losing seats in the off- year elections. Any foreign attack would strengthen him and unite support behind him.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7424322.stm

 

[phixion]

Remember what Iraq said before they were obliterated?

Pete

 

[tranquill]

Many Israeli officials argued against the Iraqi war. Like Shoher here: http://samsonblinded.org/blog/iraq

 

[Truth Warrior]

What are the US Air Force and Navy currently doing?

 

[Sarge]

If this is correct, it does look like they are trying to provoke and incident by the flying over their airspace,

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1828431,00.html

It also looks like they keep trying to convince us to do their dirty work,

http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewarticle+articleid_2461991.html

 

[torchbearer]

I could think of more productive ways to spend 1.47 trillion dollars.

 

[acptulsa]

I could think of more productive ways to spend 1.47 trillion dollars.

Can't think of a more destructive one, though.

 

[MoonShine]

Remember what Iraq said before they were obliterated?

Pete

.

The LORD our God has got to be getting pretty mad by now. The US/UK evil profiteering warmongers have killed 1,000,000 Iraqi women and children - far worse than ostensible boogeyman Sadam ever did.

Looking back the firebombing of Dresden, mass murder in Vietnam, Iraq War I in which 100,000 vastly overmatched Iranian soldiers died.

Also, you've got the 1998 bombing of Serbia in the infamous Clinton tail-wag-the-dog scenario. The media didn't tell us that the Serbs were Christian folk - just like we are/were. They used uranium-enriched shells which means long term radiation exposure for innocents.

You don't keep committing atrocities of this magnitude or nature and expect there to be no consequences.

The Iranians are a formidable opponent.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_Iran

.

 

[Liberty Star]

Why do we need to spend such huge amount on defense after collapse of USSR, which foreign military we fear will attack us?

 

[raiha]

If i lived in America, NOTHING would stop me going to Minneapolis. I came to the March and if i had the money i would do the Freedom walk AND go to Minneapolis. People who do not think aliens should interfere with American politics evidently do not understand interconnectedness.
Your country is destroying world peace, economic stability and we have to stand in the wings and watch incompetence and evil do its thing. (gnashing of teeth, wringing of hands icon)

Bless all you Paulites hearts!You've restored my faith in America.

The awful thing about all this is that when things move, they move breathtakingly fast.

 

[MoonShine]

Why do we need to spend such huge amount on defense after collapse of USSR .. ?

.

O - as in oil
I - as in Israel
L - as in logistics

plus corruption in the US government.

.

 

[Sarge]

If the following is correct things are getting like a tinder box,

http://threatswatch.org/rapidrecon/2008/08/lebanese-govt-gives-hizballah/

It sounds like they are not going to take any more land grabs and get their land back.

 

[Imperial]

We can start the crisis, but we have had it easy for years.

Think about it. During the Cold War the fear was war with the USSR. We engaged in smaller wars that, after 1980, we were largely successful in.

The tiny Grenada invasion
Bombing of Libya
Bosnia
Kosovo
Afghanistan-early on
Iraq- as the media claims

We suffer from the syndrome of Rome- we can beat any foe.

But we cannot. Afghanistan still lingers, and Iraq will boil up if you break the status quo in any way.

So, I think that it is quite plausible that Israel will start the war. Its own people will need a new war now that the 2006 war has been up.

Iran though is much stronger than Iraq was in 2003. It is more mountainous too, not to mention it has much weapons help from China and Russia and has not been bombed.

It also benefits from insurgencies that will be going on in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Hezbollah + Hamas will work together to fight Israel.

Shia and Sunni's cooperating has not yet been achieved in Iraq, Lebanon, or Afghanistan. The only example of it has been Hamas and Hezbollah in the past, plus Hezbollah with weaker Lebanase groups. Now, though, I think it may occur if a war with Iran begins.

So, I think the US could actually suffer a conventional military defeat.