Article

2010-06-07 Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Iran Guards say ready to escort Gaza ships

[Al Arabiya Latest] Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards are ready to provide a military escort to cargo ships trying to break Israel's blockade of Gaza, a representative of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday.

The RG 'Navy' consists of a few patrol boats. The Iranian navy has a few frigates and destroyers. None of them could operate in the eastern Med without substantial logistical support which the Iranians can't project. There are, however, two states between Cyprus and Gaza who I am just betting will 'volunteer' to provide basing and support. The over/under is 48 hours ...

"Iran's Revolutionary Guards naval forces are fully prepared to escort the peace and freedom convoys to Gaza with all their powers and capabilities," Ali Shirazi, Khamenei's representative inside the Revolutionary Guards, was quoted as saying by the semi-official Mehr news agency.

Any intervention by the Iranian military would be considered highly provocative by Israel which accuses Iran of supplying weapons to Hamas, the Islamist movement which rules Gaza.

Israel and its ally the United States decline to rule out military action against Iran if it looks like acquiring nuclear arms capability, something Israel sees as a threat to its survival.

Tehran says its nuclear program is for energy generation and medical purposes and calls its nuclear-armed adversaries hypocrites for trying to block its technological progress.

The Iranian state news agency IRNA said on Sunday Iran would try to send humanitarian aid to Gaza in ships under an Iranian flag. It said Iran had decided to ditch previous plans to send its aid in ships flying the flag of another state.

Posted by Fred 2010-06-07 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11130 views ] Top
File under: Govt of Iran

#1 Like I said yesterday, don't discount a nation selling vessels to an Iranian gov't agency or ministry, then the IRGC 'requisitions'.

Posted by Pappy 2010-06-07 01:00|| 2010-06-07 01:00|| Front Page Top

#2 "The RG 'Navy' consists of a few patrol boats" > I'm interpreting this Artic as inferring the IRGC wants its own land-sea Marine Corps.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2010-06-07 03:28|| 2010-06-07 03:28|| Front Page Top

#3 at this point the IRGC pronouncements are essentially a prod to Turkey

in effect, Iran is saying to Turkey, "why don't you do something; is it because you are chicken; cluck cluck"

Posted by lord garth 2010-06-07 08:39|| 2010-06-07 08:39|| Front Page Top

#4 Fred, the war is coming anyway. May as well get it on now and finish the game once and for all.

Posted by Glomock Tojo6610 2010-06-07 16:01|| 2010-06-07 16:01|| Front Page Top

#5 It is coming, and it's going to be a whopper.

Posted by Besoeker 2010-06-07 19:18|| 2010-06-07 19:18|| Front Page Top

#6 VARIOUS > TURKISH PM ERDOGAN has repor vowed = threatened to personally visit Gaza aboard new Gaza Aid Ships-Flotilla + break the Israeli blockade as backed up by TURKISH NAVAL ESCORT. * PM ERDOGAN THREAT has repor now been DENIED BY TURKISH FM???

IRAN'S RGC = repor offered to provide mil escort for new Gaza Aid vessels iff Erdogan is on-board???

* WAFF > DEBKA Artic > [PM Erdogan] TURKISH TROOPS DEPOYED TO CYPRUS [Turk sector], TOP INTELLIGENCE RANKS ISLAMIZED.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2010-06-07 22:31|| 2010-06-07 22:31|| Front Page Top

08:52 Matt
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