[socom8721]

Published September 04, 2012

Associated Press

Speaking on a live TV talk show Tuesday, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the West's sanctions have created barriers in oil sales and money transfers.

Ahmadinejad said his administration is removing the barriers, pledging that the enemies of Iran would not achieve their goals.

In July, the European Union banned oil imports from Iran, just after the U.S. enacted tough sanctions against Iran's central bank. The sanctions have severely harmed Iran's economy.

Iran relies on crude export for some 80 percent of its foreign revenue.

The head of Iran's navy says the country aims to put its warships in international waters off the U.S. coast "in the next few years."

The comments Tuesday from Admiral Habibollah Sayyari on state TV are part of Iran's response to Washington's beefed up naval presence in the Persian Gulf.

The U.S. Navy's 5th fleet is based in Bahrain -- across the gulf from Iran -- and the U.S. plans maritime war games later this month.

Iran has made similar claims in the past that its ships could soon sail into international waters off the U.S. coast.

Tehran and Washington have been at odds over Tehran's nuclear ambitions that the West suspects it has aimed at weapons. Iran denies the charge, and the country's president said the West has launched an "all-out ... war" against Iran by imposing oil and banking sanctions on his country.

The West's sanctions are meant to press Iran to stop enriching uranium.

Read more: Iran's navy aims to sail off US shores soon | Fox News

 

[1895gunner]

This whole Israel/Iran/US thing is gunna get real ugly real fast I'm afraid. I can see this going South right around our election cycle this fall. Really hope I’m wrong. An oil war timed for food shortages this winter would spell disaster for many here in the good old USA.

1895gunner

 

[Lucky Jim]

The good news is that sanctions are hurting Iran, or Ahmadinejad wouldn't be making a fuss..
His threat about sailing to the US coast is just scaremongering to remind the US that he could do it anytime he wanted.
Territorial waters extend 12 miles from the coast, so he hopes to plant the image in US minds of the Iranian navy steaming 13 miles off the US coast in international waters where they can't be touched.
He could conceivably launch conventional (non-nuke) ship-launched missiles against US coastal cities but he wouldn't do that because the US would retaliate by quickly wiping out his navy and he wouldn't be willing to pay the price.
At the moment Iran is a toothless yapping puppy and the west should only start worrying when/if she gets real teeth, namely nuclear weapons..

 

[nadja]

I was in the Navy albeit way back when, but let me tell you something. I have seen the pic's of Irans "navy" and I got cramps from laughing so long and hard that I couldn't walk for an hour. Their bathtub navy at best , maybe could make it over here. I am yet to see many desert dwellers command a ship at see. Oh, did I say ships ? I'm sorry, as their Navy wouldn't amount to much more then fleas on their camels backs. At least not to our Navy. And if they did manage to make it all the way over the pond to even get here, they could launch land based missiles at us you say ? That is exactly like taking a knife to a gun fight. At the first sign of aggresion here on our soil, the military would not need anyones permission to shoot back. Our guns and missiles are bigger and far more accurate then anything they can dream up at this point.

 

[Denton]

My goodness, they sure make a lot of noise.

Nuclear weapons are not the most reliable when it comes to detonation. Trying to perfect that while being harrassed byMossad is another level of difficulty. Launched by two fishermen on a pontoon boat.....

 

[nadja]

Launching any kind of projectile at the U.S. is an Act of War, and something the little talking head should give some serious thought to. Although he may actually hit the coast, the retaliation to his little row boats and country proper is too terrible to consider to all but a crazy man. We have a couple of carrier fleets over there right now. And if I read it right, even your fleet along with several other countries navies as well. Once single carrier fleet could pretty much decimate his entire country in a mater of a few hours. Even their camels would be gone, What a lot or most people do not know, is that anytime a carrier sails, there will be at least two subs underneath. One to protect the carrier, and one to do really bad no-no's to any country that it needed to. Trident subs have few if any boundaries. Trident missiles go way way up in the air, open up and launch mulitable warheads, all guided to their individual charted targets. Once they leave, the only thing left for you to do, is bend way way over and kiss yourself goomby !

 

[Lucky Jim]

...the retaliation to his little row boats and country proper is too terrible to consider to all but a crazy man. We have a couple of carrier fleets over there right now. Once single carrier fleet could pretty much decimate his entire country in a mater of a few hours..

Yeah, they're so powerful that I heard whenever trouble flared in any part of the world President Clinton's first rection was to go over to the world map and ask his Chiefs of Staff "Where are our carriers", and we can bet every other Pres does that too..
Ahmadinejad daydreams of hurting America in some way but he doesn't have the balls to try because he knows the US response will be decisive.
He's even got at least two big old russki-surplus Kilo subs like this (below), and a dozen or so midget subs (bottom) which could conceivably creep up submerged on the US coast and launch suicide-squads at night from rubber boats to hit US cities, but again he fears what the US response will be.

He hasn't got nukes at the moment so he's probably biding his time until he has, then there's a real chance it'll hit the fan because he'll be crazy enough to want to go down in history as "the man who wiped out Boston/NY/Washington/Baltimore/Miami" etc regardless of the consequences..
(PS, other countries have got subs and midget subs too, notably Nth Korea)

One of Irans Kilo-class subs-

One of Irans midget subs-

 

[Leon]

DUDE I want one of those subs! That a floating dock somewhere with crops growing on it and you're set. Talk about a bug out vehicle.

 

[Lucky Jim]

DUDE I want one of those subs! That a floating dock somewhere with crops growing on it and you're set. Talk about a bug out vehicle.

Yeah, even drug runners can get their hands on mini-subs (below)!
Colombian army captures one-

Inside-

http://boingboing.net/2011/02/14/100-ft-long-drug-smu.html