by Bernard Schaer

A sizable armada of approximately 36 warships, two Strike Groups, the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Peleliu Strike Group, as well as Expeditionary Strike Groups, is prepared and ready to create a naval blockade on Iran, which is tantamount to a declaration of war. Some German reports raise the possibility, that the USS Iwo Jima and the Royal Navy carrier HMS Ark Royal, accompanied by French submarines, may join the party.

The congressional Democrat enablers under the leadership of Nancy Pelosi are certainly providing the necessary “cover” for a possible naval blockade in HR 362! This bill (currently before the House Foreign Affairs Committee) calls on the President to initiate an international economic blockade, including the encroachment of trade and the freeze of monetary transactions with Iran:

“The President [shall] initiate an international effort to immediately and dramatically increase the economic, political, and diplomatic pressure on Iran …. prohibiting the export to Iran of all refined petroleum products; imposing stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran; and prohibiting the international movement of all Iranian officials not involved in negotiating the suspension of Iran’s nuclear program.”

“[HR 362] urges the President, in the strongest of terms, to immediately use his existing authority to impose sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran, … international banks which continue to conduct financial transactions with proscribed Iranian banks; … energy companies that have invested $20,000,000 or more in the Iranian petroleum or natural gas sector in any given year since the enactment of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996; and all companies which continue to do business with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”

Although Iran sits on the world’s second largest oil puddle, it currently imports approximately 40% of its fuel due to the lack of refining capacity. Although Iran is said to have considerable amount of fuels stockpiled, a naval stranglehold will eventually effect the Iranian economy.

Secondly though, Iran has deep-routed relations with China, which depends on Iran’s oil, to satisfy an ever growing demand. After all, it is estimated that China is putting 20,000 new cars on the road every day. It should not be ruled out, that China may send its own warships to the region to protect its oil tanker to and from Iran.

And then there is Russia, another ally to Iran, increasingly fed up with US activities in several of the former Soviet republics. Michel Chossudovsky, in a recent article at www.globalresearch.ca is urging his readers to see the Georgian attack on South Ossetia, followed by the Russian counter attack and a possible naval blockade on Iran as related events. He writes:

Russia is currently caught up in a military confrontation with Georgia. The Georgian attack on South Ossetia constitutes an act of provocation directed against Russia. It creates an aura of instability in the Caucasus, marked by heavy civilian casualties. It serves to distract Russia from playing a meaningful diplomatic and military role, which might undermine or obstruct the US-led war plans directed against Iran. Both Russia and China have bilateral military cooperation agreements with Iran. Russia supplies the Islamic Republic with military hardware and technical expertise in relation to Iran’s air defense system and missile program.

This spring Russia had sent a group of approximately 11 warships led by aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov to the Mediterranian.

Not only is it getting crowded in that part of the world. All sides involved in this party are nuclear powers. They are not really concerned about the small country of Iran, which according the NIE issued last spring, is not expected to be able to produce nuclear weapons or weapons grade material for another 7 to 10 years. At stake is the dominance over middle Eastern and Caspian Sea basin oil and natural gas resources. Period.