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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Pat Dollard: Iran Invades Oman
2007-03-26
Pat quotes no sources, but he's usually right. May be why all those ships have moved into location.

For close to a month now, certain pockets of the U.S. intelligence and military communities have been deeply focused on a few key developments in the Iranian front of the War on Terror. When Iran declared war on America a few years ago (without a suicidal public announcement of course ) the entirety of the burden of execution fell on the shoulders of its Revolutionary Guards. No other military units in Iran are competent enough for any type of engagement with Western forces.

The Guards were to do what they always do. Operate in the shadows, provide weapons, munitions, training, cash, personnel and other sundry types of support to a proxy army in Iraq. This proxy army would wage IranÂ’s war with enough distance to allow for Iran to avoid an open conflict with superior American forces, essentially by providing it plausible deniability to the charge that it was waging war against America in the first place. S.O.P. - same deal as in Lebanon where Hezbollah fronts IranÂ’s war on Israel.

In the modern age, it is critical to enemies such as Iran that they never openly declare war on us, or we shall clearly have the right to annihilate them as we can. Plus it provides a critical weapon in their campaign to prevent American popular support for any U.S. military action against them. By never openly declaring war, they fool the American people into believing that they are indeed not waging war on us, so that when a President should call for military action against them, Iran is in the position to, and indeed does, say: “Who us? We ain’t doing shit. Your President’s a warmonger.” With the sounds of their IEDs and RPGs exploding in the background.

One of the key developments that has absorbed WashingtonÂ’s attention deeply, and resulted in the very significant personal involvement of Vice President Dick Cheney, was the fact that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards have invaded and seized almost all meaningful control of the strategic Masandam Peninsula in Oman - a peninsula that covers the Southern mouth of the Straight of Hormuz.

Occupying this peninsula solidifies IranÂ’s complete control of the straight. The Northern chokepoint has long been IranÂ’s; the Southern chokepoint has long been OmanÂ’s. They are now both IranÂ’s. The Revolutionary Guard also decided to make this area their own, because it makes for a smugglerÂ’s paradise. And smuggling is one of their #1 jobs. A priority for the Guard is to engage in as much profitable illegal activity, on a global scale, as they can, in order to pay for their very existence, and help bankroll the countryÂ’s nuclear program.

And, long anticipating the oncoming sanctions, the Guard has kept an eye on various ways to keep goods flowing into the country. Their new stronghold in Oman, with such control over the Straights, provides for just that.

And Oman, terrified of the direct confrontation with Iran that our military has planned and suggested, has decided to do nothing.

Cheney visited Oman on Feb. 26, and discussed these plans for joint Omani and U.S. forces to lay seige and slowly eject the Iranians from Masandam. The Omanis ultimately got cold feet. And Tehran remains in positon to use the peninsula to threaten tankers, American supplies and reinforcements, and even American troops as they leave.
Posted by:Sherry

#6  There have been vari unconfirmed Net reports on this for approxi one month now - the rough consensus is that this may had been done to induce the USN to move its heavy CBG's + Amphibs further out in the Gulf, out of range from Iranian missle batteries. NET > IRAN WANTS TO PURCHASE THE RUSSIAN "SIZZLER" NUKE-CAPABLE ANTI-CARRIER MISSLE. Iran in simple terms is a High Ridge-Mtn line(s) flanked in front and rear by lowlands - as far as I've read or seen on the Net/Web, IRAN'S "LAST-RESORT/FINAL DEFENSE" STRATEGY > FIGHT vv "ASYMMETRIC PEOPLE'S WAR", FROM THIS CENTRAL HIGH RIDGE-MTN LINE(S) WHILE ALLOWING SUPERIOR WESTERN ARMORED FORCES TO OVERRUN THE LOWLANDS, i.e. SHOOT DOWN AT ENEMY FORCES FROM THE HIGH GROUND [e.g. CHINA looking down at INDIA vv TIBETAN PLATEAU]. From the "high ground" Iran intends to utilize TACTICAL MISSLE ARTY INCLUD NUKES-WMDS, OUTLAST the USA-West politically, HOPE FOR FOREIGN MIL INTERVENTION, + let the UNO-UNSC decide when to surrender. By going after OMAN + other small Muslim Gulf-States, besides simul engaging in the National-Regional destabilization of the ME's large States, IRAN HOPES TO KEEP THE WEST AT AN EXTENDED MIL DISTANCE WHILE STILL DOMINATING THE REGION. *KOMMERSANT > even the Russians = Rus Medias have reported IRAN'S WAR AGZ THE USA-WEST HAS ALREADY BEGUN. IRAN = CHINA > MAO TSE-TUNG/ZEDONG > "SHOW THE STRONG WHILE HIDING WEAKNESS" + MAO [paraphrased] >"The Oceans of Chaos and Anarchies [by extens ANTI-US/WESTERN WAR] will NOT end UNTIL CHINA = COMUNISM CONTROLS".
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2007-03-26 22:31  

#5  Masandam Peninsula in Oman, It's the pointy one sticking out from the South seward side into the Straight of Hormuz.

Zig and Zag.. Point and Click Lots of Hidy Holes
Posted by: RD   2007-03-26 21:34  

#4  It sounds like we should arrange fora total envelopment of all Iranian forces on that peninsula - isolate them with a naval blockade, cut off the land escpe routed with a heavy force, and then send in tactical air to destroy anything that canb be identified. Then use the peninsual as a live-fire joint training exercise - send in a MAB over the shore, and drop a couple of Ranger battalions inland. Give the Brits a piece, too - let them add a few bargaining chips to their plate.

Oh - and keep a couple of carrier based strike wings nearby, in case Iran has ides about interfering with the "cleansing" of the Masandam Peninsula.
Posted by: Lone Ranger   2007-03-26 21:12  

#3  Check!
Posted by: Iran   2007-03-26 17:12  

#2  Historically, Oman was close to the Brits with Brit Officers and NCOs seconded to their ranks, and are one of the politically closest Arab country to the West. I am sure we are aware of anything like this going on.
Posted by: Brett   2007-03-26 16:12  

#1  First I've heard about this. If true then this is a serious problem and I am surprised the Omanis got cold feet.

Musandam is an enclave geographically separate from the rest of Oman.
Posted by: phil_b   2007-03-26 15:29  

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