Responding to intel in the Persian Gulf that Iran stationed missiles on speed boats in the Persian Gulf, 72-year–old President Donald Trump ordered Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to put non-essential diplomatic personnel in Iraq on notice to evacuate the country. Trump expressed concern over the new intel since he sent a U.S. carrier battle group with B-52 bombers to the Strait of Hormuz when Iran threated to shut off the narrow waterway through which about 20% of world oil travels. Trump also responded to report that two Saudi Arabian oil tankers and two natural gas pumping stations were hit with predator drone strikes, causing the pipeline to shut down. When Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels accepted responsibility for the strikes yesterday, it provided undeniable proof that Iran was behind the attacks. No Mideast, North African or Arabian Peninsula state has the predator drone capability other the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Iran hasn’t been happy with Trump cancelling the Iranian nuke deal May 8, 2018, re-imposing strict sanctions on oil sales. Iran’s currency has hit the lowest levels on all major currency exchanges in the country’s history, causing economic havoc. When Trump branded Iran’s Revolutionary Guards a terrorist group April 8. Iran’s 56-year-old U.S.-educated Foreign Minister Mohammed Java Zarif threatened serious consequences if Trump continued to mess with Iran’s economic sovereignty. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned the U.S. that there would be serious consequences for Trump’s aggressive behavior. Stationing missiles on IRGC speed boats represents a clear-and-present-danger to U.S. navy vessels in the Persian Gulf. Questions arise whether the threat from Iran is any higher than it’s been for some time, leading British Maj. Gen. Christopher Ghika to dispute the U.S. threat assessment. Ghika wasn’t taking the new threats in context.
As Iran’s economy continue to sink, it grows more frustrated by the day with Trump’s Iran policy. Trump put Iran on notice that any attack on U.S. navy would be met with a forceful U.S. response. Sending a carrier task force to the Persian Gulf with B-52 bombers shows Trump is serious of protecting U.S. power. United Arab Emirates [UAE] Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash said he was coordinating with Norwegian authorities to determine the origin to the attacks. Gargash knows that Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the attack, warning Saudi Arabia to stop aggression against Houthi rebels in Yemen. No country in the region other than Iran or its surrogates has the predator drone capability other than Iran. UAE officials received the full backing of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, reminding Iran that the Persian Gulf was an international waterway, not owned by Iran. El-Sisi expressed his concerns while visiting Dubai.
Admitting that U.S sanctions on Iran were working, Gargash hinted at a possible motive for the attacks against Saudi natural gas pumping stations and oil tankers. “U.S. sanctions on Iran are biting, and biting in a very effective way,” Gargash said, hinting that Iran has the motive to retaliate against U.S. allies. Zarif already called “extremist” elements in the U.S. government causing the Persian Gulf crisis. Zarif has a close relationship to former Secretary of State John Kerry with whom he negotiated the Iranian Nuke Deal in 2015. Trump complained yesterday that Kerry should be prosecuted for violating the arcane 1799 Logan Act, preventing U.S. citizens from negotiating foreign policy. Kerry’s been rumored to tell Zarif that Trump will be a one term president, allowing sanctions relief to return once Trump is out of office. Whether that happens or not is anyone’s guess. What’s certain now is that Iran isn’t happy with Trump cancelling U.S. involvement in former Barack Obama’s Oct. 28, 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action AKA Iranian Nuke Deal.
Lecturing the U.S. as to who’s the “extremist,” Zarif drew a sharp rebuke from Gargash. “On Iran it doesn’t really help to hear Foreign Minister Zarif offer a moderate voice with regard to Iran’s intentions,” believing that some element in Iran’s orbit struck Saudi pumping stations and oil tankers. “We have been bullied by Iran, we have seen aggressive Iranian actions in the region. So his words are very hollow in that sense,” knowing Iran was most likely behind recent attacks. Whatever Trump’s strategy with Iran, he wouldn’t telegraph any troop movements suggested by the New York Times. Unnamed sources told the Times yesterday that Trump was ordering 120,000 U.S. troops to the Persian Gulf. Calling the New York Times “fake news,” Trump denied any decisions on troop deployments. It’s more likely that Trump has put Iran on notice not to attack the U.S. navy. Too many U.S. news outlets refuse to name their sources, creating a media credibility problem.
Putting missiles on speed boats in the Persian Gulf, Iran has prompted concerns by the U.S. military. When you consider recent attacks on Saudi natural gas installation and tankers, it points, as the U.A.E.’s Gargash points out, to Iran aggressive behavior. Sending a carrier battle group to the Persian Gulf with B-52 bombers Trump aims to get Iran to back down from an provocations. With Houthi rebel spokesman Mohamed Abdel-Salam claiming responsibility for the attack, it points to Iran. No other Mideast state has the predator drone capability than Iran. Disputing the seriousness of the Iranian threat, British Maj. Gen. Chris Ghika may be right that Iran’s bluffing but the U.S. can’t take the Iranian threat lightly. Whether Iran is reckless enough to attack the U.S. navy is anyone’s guess. Ghika knows that Iran faces mounting pressure from a battered economy, squeezed by Trump’s economic sanctions. Sending a carrier battle group to the Persian Gulf puts Iran on notice.
