U.S. starts wrapping up war games off Iran's coast

[sabra]

Source: Reuters

ABOARD USS NIMITZ, June 6 (Reuters) - The largest U.S. military flotilla to enter the Gulf since the 2003 Iraq war has begun winding up two weeks of war drills off Iran's coast, the navy said on Wednesday.

The U.S. show of strength began last month with a dramatic daytime crossing of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a major channel for oil shipments from the Gulf, raising pressure on the Islamic Republic and pushing up world oil prices.

Rear Admiral John Blake, commander of the Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group, said the move was meant to reassure allies that the United States was committed to stability in a region that faced several threats, including from Iran's nuclear programme, and the prospect of violence in Iraq and Afghanistan spilling across borders.

"You've got a chokepoint here ... many nations are concerned about it because that is the principle route that their petroleum products take," he told Reuters, adding that the exercises, which included anti-aircraft, surface and submarine drills, would end within days.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L06924388.htm

[Barrett808]

1. Another enormous waste of time, money, energy

And one which makes the US look both petty and weak.

Brought to you by AEI/Halliburton.

[bemildred]

2. Well, at least that will make it harder to block the strait.

The Iranians will have to sail their own ships out there and sink them now.

[mallard]

3. Re: and now that the war game exercises are done...

... are they setting up for the real thing, or going to just sit there in the water, or going to head for fairer horizons?

[lovuian]

4. I'm hoping the Military knocked some sense into Bush

War with Iran would be stupid at this point...

but until Cheney is out of there You never know what he will do with his private army

[cyberpj]

5. Strait of Hormuz - isn't this exactly where the cyclone is? nt

[Javaman]

6. Yup, probably the reason why they are "wrapping" up the training. nt

[Nihil]

7. Probably.

Let's see ...
- They've wasted millions of dollars.
- They've failed to provoke the Iranians into doing something stupid.
- They've made themselves look even more pathetic in the eyes of the world.

About the only non-violent thing they could to make matters worse
would be to go aground in the inclement weather (thus blocking the
very access route they are pretending to "defend").

Given their score-card so far, I'd play safe and quit buggering about
for a while.

:shrug: