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COMMENTARY |Iran‘s threat to close the narrow Strait of Hormuz has drawn the attention of military forces around the world and ignited a buildup that could endanger the region. While the U.S. and her major allies regularly maintain a naval presence in the Persian Gulf, other countries have dispatched warships to send a clear message to Tehran.
UPI reported the Russian, French, British and Canadian forces are already on station in the Gulf, with additional forces in route. The U.S. Fifth Fleet is based in Bahrain and the USS John C. Stennis CVN-74 is currently patrolling the Gulf of Oman just outside the Strait.
The Stennis carrier group is quite capable of handling anything Iran might choose to muster in a show of force. With more than 70 attack aircraft, plus a screening vessels of various capabilities, the U.S. Navy would easily dominate any encounter. But it’s nice to know that other countries care enough to ensure the waterway stays open for commerce.
The Russians have deployed the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, which is anchored at Syria’s Tartus port on the Mediterranean. That action caused France to assign an air defense destroyer to the region as well. The Canadian Royal Navy announced Sunday the HMCS Charlottetown also departed for the Gulf.
Not to be left out, British Prime Minister David Cameron ordered a guided missile destroyer into the Persian Gulf, which will join the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. That’s a lot of naval power to deal with in the event Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gets a wild hair to try to close the Strait of Hormuz.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey has said Iran could close the Strait for a “brief time,” but he also reiterated U.S. determination and capability to insure that the seaway will remain open for international navigation. I seriously doubt Iran would want to engage the western powers in a naval confrontation that cannot win. But if they do, the Stennis will give them a moment of pause.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
An American man in Iran has been sentenced to death after a court convicted him of spying for the CIA, state radio reported Monday.
Iran maintains that Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine, underwent special training before heading to the Middle Eastern state on an alleged intelligence mission.
Under Iranian law, the 28-year-old has close to three weeks to appeal the sentence.
“He has 20 days to appeal but this is a pretty dramatic situation and the Americans are quite worried,” said CTV’s London Bureau Chief Tom Kennedy.
The court convicted Hekmati of working with a hostile country, belonging to the CIA and attempting to accuse Iran of terrorism, a Monday report said.
His death sentence comes against the backdrop of deteriorating ties between Iran and the United States.
As the two nations clash over Iran’s nuclear program, which Washington has long been suspicious of, Kennedy said the U.S. is worried that existing animosity will carry over into Hekmati’s case.
“What worries them is it could be a factor in whatever Mr. Hekmati’s fate is going to be,” he told CTV News Channel on Monday.
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has demanded Hekmati’s release.
It’s unclear when the former military translator was arrested, but some reports have pegged the date as late August or early September.
Access to information, said Kennedy, has been a problem throughout Hekmati’s detainment.
“There was no consular access given to Mr. Hekmati during this process,” he said. “It’s one of the Americans’ premier complaints.”
While the U.S. doesn’t have diplomatic ties to Iran, the country has asked Iran to allow Swiss diplomats access to Hekmati.
“As to what specific evidence the Iranians had, we don’t know,” said Kennedy.
In a December interview, Hekmati’s father told the Associated Press that his son went to Iran about four months earlier to visit his grandmothers.
That same month, Iranian state television broadcast footage of Hekmati reciting an alleged confession in which he admitted to trying to infiltrate Iran’s Intelligence Ministry.
Hekmati is a dual U.S.-Iranian national who was born in Arizona and graduated from high school in Michigan. His family has fervently denied Iran’s accusations.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran has rejected a New York judge’s finding that Tehran is liable in the Sept. 11 attacks along with the Taliban and al-Qaida. Americans are seriously looking for a way and reason to attack Iran. Just like how they lied to the world that Iraq is behind 9/11 and they also had weapon of mass desruction.
Now they have started digging a sham reasons to attack Iran.
According to state TV, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman referred to last week’s judgment as “clumsy scenario-making” by the U.S.
The spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, repeated Iran’s insistence that al-Qaida has no presence in the country.
On Thursday, Judge George Daniels in Manhattan signed a default judgment finding Iran, the Taliban and al-Qaida liable in the 2001 attacks. The ruling came in a $100 billion lawsuit brought by family members of victims.
The findings also said Iran provides al-Qaida members a safe haven.
Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly denied any Iranian connection to the Sept. 11 attacks or to al-Qaida.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran began 10 days of naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, raising concern about a possible closure of the world’s most strategic oil transit channel in the event of any outbreak of military conflict between Tehran and the West.
The military drill, dubbed “Velayat-e 90,” comes as the tension between the West and Iran is escalating over the Islamic state’s nuclear program.
Some analysts and diplomats believe the Islamic Republic could try to block the strait in the event of any war with the West over suspicions it is seeking atom bombs. Iran’s arch-foes Israel and the United States have not ruled out military action if diplomacy and sanctions fail to rein in Iran’s nuclear work.
Iran says it wants nuclear energy only for peaceful ends.
“The enforcement of the decision to close of the Strait of Hormuz is certainly within Iran’s armed forces’ capability, but such a decision should be made by the country’s top authorities,” Iranian Navy commander Habibollah Sayyari was quoted as saying by the semi-official ILNA labor news agency.
Iran has said in the past that it would respond to any attack by targeting U.S. interests in the region and Israel, as well as closing the strait, the only access channel for eight U.S.-aligned, Gulf Arab states to foreign markets.
Iranian authorities have given no indication the strait will be closed during the exercise, and it has not been shut during previous drills.
“Displaying Iran’s defensive and deterrent power as well as relaying a message of peace and friendship in the Strait of Hormuz and the free waters are the main objectives of the drill,” Sayyari said.
“It will also display the country’s power to control the region as well as testing new missiles, torpedoes and weapons.”
“Velayat” is a Persian word for “supremacy” and it is currently used as a title of deference for the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The United States, Britain and Canada announced new measures against Iran’s energy and financial sectors last month and the European Union is considering a ban – already in place in the United States – on imports of Iranian oil.
(Writing by Ramin Mostafavi; Editing by Alison Williams)
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran will not return a U.S. surveillance drone captured by its armed forces, a senior commander of the country’s elite Revolutionary Guard said Sunday.
Gen. Hossein Salami, deputy head of the Guard, said in remarks broadcast on state television that the violation of Iran’s airspace by the U.S. drone was a “hostile act” and warned of a “bigger” response. He did not elaborate on what Tehran might do.
“No one returns the symbol of aggression to the party that sought secret and vital intelligence related to the national security of a country,” Salami said.
Iranian television broadcast video Thursday of Iranian military officials inspecting what it identified as the RQ-170 Sentinel drone.
Iranian state media have said the unmanned spy aircraft was detected over the eastern town of Kashmar, some 140 miles (225 kilometers) from the border with Afghanistan. U.S. officials have acknowledged losing the drone.
Salami called its capture a victory for Iran and a defeat for the U.S. in a complicated intelligence and technological battle.
“Iran is among the few countries that possesses the most modern technology in the field of pilotless drones. The technology gap between Iran and the U.S. is not much,” he said.
Officers in the Guard, Iran’s most powerful military force, had previously claimed that the country’s armed forces brought down the surveillance aircraft with an electronic ambush, causing minimum damage to the drone.
American officials have said that U.S. intelligence assessments indicate that Iran neither shot the drone down, nor used electronic or cybertechnology to force it from the sky. They contend the drone malfunctioned. The officials had spoken anonymously in order to discuss the classified program.
But Salami refused to provide more details of Iran’s claim to have captured the CIA-operated aircraft.
“A party that wins in an intelligence battle doesn’t reveal its methods. We can’t elaborate on the methods we employed to intercept, control, discover and bring down the pilotless plane,” he said
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan on Saturday blocked vital supply routes for U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan and demanded Washington vacate a base used by American drones after coalition aircraft allegedly killed 24 Pakistani troops at two posts along a mountainous frontier that serves as a safe haven for militants.
The incident was a major blow to American efforts to rebuild an already tattered alliance vital to winding down the 10-year-old Afghan war. Islamabad called the bloodshed in one of its tribal areas a “grave infringement” of the country’s sovereignty, and it could make it even more difficult for the U.S. to enlist Pakistan’s help in pushing Afghan insurgents to engage in peace talks.
A NATO spokesman said it was likely that coalition airstrikes caused Pakistani casualties, but an investigation was being conducted to determine the details. If confirmed, it would be the deadliest friendly fire incident by NATO against Pakistani troops since the Afghan war began a decade ago.
A prolonged closure of Pakistan’s two Afghan border crossings to NATO supplies could cause serious problems for the coalition. The U.S., which is the largest member of the NATO force in Afghanistan, ships more than 30 percent of its non-lethal supplies through Pakistan. The coalition has alternative routes through Central Asia into northern Afghanistan, but they are costlier and less efficient.
Pakistan temporarily closed one of its Afghan crossings to NATO supplies last year after U.S. helicopters accidentally killed two Pakistani soldiers. Suspected militants took advantage of the impasse to launch attacks against stranded or rerouted trucks carrying NATO supplies. The government reopened the border after about 10 days when the U.S. apologized. NATO said at the time the relatively short closure did not significantly affect its ability to keep its troops supplied.
But the reported casualties are much greater this time, and the relationship between Pakistan and the U.S. has severely deteriorated over the last year, especially following the covert American raid that killed Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani garrison town in May. Islamabad was outraged it wasn’t told about the operation beforehand.
The government announced it closed its border crossings to NATO in a statement issued after an emergency meeting of the Cabinet’s defense committee chaired by Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.
It also said that within 15 days the U.S. must vacate Shamsi Air Base, which is located in southwestern Baluchistan province. The U.S. uses the base to service drones that target al-Qaida and Taliban militants in Pakistan’s tribal region when they cannot return to their bases inside Afghanistan because of weather conditions or mechanical difficulty, said U.S. and Pakistani officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive strategic matters.
The government also plans to review all diplomatic, military and intelligence cooperation with the U.S. and other NATO forces, according to the statement issued after the defense committee meeting.
The White House said that senior U.S. civilian and military officials had expressed their condolences to their Pakistani counterparts.
The White House statement said the officials expressed “our desire to work together to determine what took place, and our commitment to the U.S.-Pakistan partnership which advances our shared interests, including fighting terrorism in the region.”
The White House statement did not address Pakistan’s decision to block supply routes for the war in Afghanistan or its demand that the U.S. vacate the drone base.
The Pakistani army said Saturday that NATO helicopters and fighter jets carried out an “unprovoked” attack on two of its border posts in the Mohmand tribal area before dawn, killing 24 soldiers and wounding 13 others. The troops responded in self-defense “with all available weapons,” an army statement said.
Pakistan army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani condemned the attack, calling it a “blatant and unacceptable act,” according to the statement.
A spokesman for NATO forces, Brig. Gen. Carsten Jacobson, said Afghan and coalition troops were operating in the border area of eastern Afghanistan when “a tactical situation” prompted them to call in close air support. It is “highly likely” that the airstrikes caused Pakistani casualties, he told BBC television.
“My most sincere and personal heartfelt condolences go out to the families and loved ones of any members of Pakistan security forces who may have been killed or injured,” said Gen. John Allen, the top overall commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, in a statement.
The border issue is a major source of tension between Islamabad and Washington, which is committed to withdrawing its combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
Much of the violence in Afghanistan is carried out by insurgents who are based just across the border in Pakistan. Coalition forces are not allowed to cross the frontier to attack the militants. However, the militants sometimes fire artillery and rockets across the line, reportedly from locations close to Pakistani army posts.
American officials have repeatedly accused Pakistani forces of supporting — or turning a blind eye — to militants using its territory for cross-border attacks. But militants based in Afghanistan have also been attacking Pakistan recently, prompting complaints from Islamabad.
The two posts that were attacked Saturday were located about 1,000 feet apart on a mountain top and were set up recently to stop Pakistani Taliban militants holed up in Afghanistan from crossing the border and staging attacks, said local government and security officials.
There was no militant activity in the area when the alleged NATO attack occurred, local officials said. Some of the soldiers were standing guard, while others were asleep, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
Pakistan army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said map references of all of the force’s border posts have been given to NATO several times.
Pakistan’s prime minister summoned U.S. Ambassador Cameron Munter to protest the alleged NATO strike, according to a Foreign Ministry statement. It said the attack was a “grave infringement of Pakistan’s sovereignty” and could have serious repercussions on Pakistan’s cooperation with NATO.
Munter said in a statement that he regretted any Pakistani deaths and promised to work closely with Islamabad to investigate the incident.
The U.S., Pakistan, and Afghan militaries have long wrestled with the technical difficulties of patrolling a border that in many places is disputed or poorly marked. Saturday’s incident took place a day after a meeting between NATO’s Gen. Allen and Pakistan army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani in Islamabad to discuss border operations.
The meeting tackled “coordination, communication and procedures … aimed at enhancing border control on both sides,” according to a statement from the Pakistani side.
The U.S. helicopter attack that killed two Pakistani soldiers on Sept. 30 of last year took place south of Mohmand in the Kurram tribal area. A joint U.S.-Pakistan investigation found that Pakistani soldiers fired at the two U.S. helicopters prior to the attack, a move the investigation team said was likely meant to notify the aircraft of their presence after they passed into Pakistani airspace several times.
A U.S. airstrike in June 2008 reportedly killed 11 Pakistani paramilitary troops during a clash between militants and coalition forces in the tribal region.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
ISLAMABAD: While the US pressurises Pakistan to recognise the Libyan rebels-led Transitional International Council (TIC), the Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi is seeking Islamabad’s assistance to overcome the challenges his authority faces in Tripoli.
A senior official of the Libyan ministry of foreign affairs is due to arrive in Islamabad on July 27 with a special message from Qaddafi for President Asif Ali Zardari, a highly informed source told The Express Tribune. The special envoy will also meet Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar.
Islamabad backs Qaddafi
Tripoli has appreciated Islamabad’s position that the US-led armed intervention in Libya is beyond the UN mandate.
Islamabad has told Washington that it would only recognise a government in Libya that controls Tripoli.
Pakistan has so far refused to accord recognition to ‘a state-less Transitional International Council’ as the legitimate authority in Libya and maintains that it still considered Qaddafi’s government as the lawful regime in Tripoli.
Islamabad, however, has not yet nominated a new ambassador to Tripoli after it sent the last one, Jamil Ahmed Khan, to the UAE.
“We will appoint our new ambassador to Tripoli once the ongoing political turmoil is over in Libya,†a foreign office source said.
Most Muslim countries except Turkey, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have so far refused to recognize the TIC as the legal authority of Libya.
Opposing foreign intervention
At a conference in Istanbul on July 15, Western nations threw their weight behind Libya’s rebels, recognising them as the government authority.
Pakistan refused to attend the conference despite having the secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) representing Muslim countries at the meeting.
“The secretary-general should not have attended the Istanbul conference,†said an official in the ministry of foreign affairs.
Pakistan has already expressed its serious reservations over the interpretation of the UN resolution over Libya which appears to have granted permission to US and its allies to carry out attacks on a sovereign country.
“No country should be divided, fractured or brought under attack merely in the name of restoration of democracy or protection of human rights,†a senior official of Pakistan’s foreign office said.
“Pakistan also rejects the formula of regime change with the intervention of foreign forces,†he said, adding that “Libya has its internal problems so it is up to its people to decide their fate.â€Â
Pakistan joins Russia, China, Sweden and Holland in opposing aerial bombardment of Libya.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 25th, 2011.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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