Five Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps gunboats tried to seize a British oil tanker in the Persian Gulf Wednesday but backed off after a British warship approached.....
Iran is steadily provoking not just the United States but Britain as well in their latest attempt to cause a military confrontation.
Five Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fast attack boats thought the British oil tanker would be easy pickings. Right up to the moment that a British warship backed up by the United States verbally told them to leave the area.
US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford said Tuesday that the US and its allies were working to put together a coalition of countries to come up with a system to enforce freedom of navigation in the region amid what the US says are heightened threats from Iran.
The British warship was said to have been less than 5 miles behind the tanker but soon intercepted the Iranian boats and threatened to open fire. A manned U.S. reconnaissance aircraft was above as well, the official said, adding that Iranian forces left without opening fire.
Navy Captain Bill Urban, spokesman for the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), said the military was aware of the reported actions. He added, “Threats to international freedom of navigation require an international solution. The world economy depends on the free flow of commerce, and it is incumbent on all nations to protect and preserve this lynchpin of global prosperity.”
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned that Britain would face repercussions over the seizure. Last month, Iran shot down a U.S. drone over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway separating Iran from the United Arab Emirates.
U.S. officials also blamed Iran for attacks on six oil tankers in the area. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has accused the regime of trying to disrupt the flow of oil through the strait.
Tensions between Iran and the U.S. have escalated in recent weeks and could spiral downward after Iran admitted Monday it surpassed uranium enrichment levels that were set by the Iran nuclear agreement in 2015.
President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal but several EU nations remained involved. Trump has indicated he will impose additional sanctions on Iran in the hours ahead.
Iran Sets Up Command Centre at Abu Kamal for Attacks on US Targets and Israel......
July 11, 2019
The small east Syrian town of Abu Kamal near the Iraqi border is under close US military and Israeli surveillance.
Reliable military sources report that, according to the best intelligence estimates, Iran has set up its headquarters at Abu Kamal for attacks on US forces in eastern Syria and targets inside Israel, as part of its payback for the tight US sanctions on its oil sales.
Incoming data reveals the establishment of special training facilities there for the pro-Iranian forces assigned to these attacks, the presence of their command posts and the weapons arsenal building up for their use.
Some of the commanders have taken over former schools, while weapons are stowed in former hospital buildings. The Iranians have also erected a communications tower in the town centre for links among the various units and facilities.
Our sources also report the delivery at Abu Kamal of Iranian surface missiles – medium and short range, as well as anti-air rockets. They have been deployed at different parts of the town and in outlying villages.
The positioning of these weapons indicates that the Iranians expect American units in Syria and Iraq to attack their Abu Kamal forward headquarters together with the IDF – either pre-emptively or as punishment after their offensive.
Hence, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s warning on Tuesday from the F-35 squadron that these Israeli Air Force stealth warplanes can reach any point in the Middle East, not just Iran but Syria as well.
According to the information reaching us, Abu Kamal presently houses, in addition to Syrian and Iranian forces, five Shiite militias in the service of the Islamic Republic: Led by the Lebanese Hizballah, they are the Iraqi Hezballah and Al-Nujaba, the Afghan Al-Fatemiyoun and the Pakistani Zainebiyoun.
War is on its way!
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