Well, this is hilarious. In addition to saying it knows all the secrets of America's infamous RQ-170 Sentinel UAV, Iran is claiming to have control over who enters and exits the Persian Gulf.
Yes, Iran is trying to imply that American carrier battle groups are checking in with the Iraniang Revolutionary Guard Corps to make sure its ok they enter the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz. Here's what Iran's official FARS news agency is "reporting" on the matter.
A senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps said that all vessels, including the US warships, enter the Persian Gulf waters through the Strait of Hormuz only after they are checked by the IRGC naval forces."The alien vessels which enter the Persian Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz always provide the needed answers and information to the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) units," Lieutenant Commander of the IRGC Naval Force Alireza Tangsiri said on Wednesday.
He further noted the deployment of a US aircraft carrier in the region, and said, "This vessel, similar to the other warships, answered all the questions asked by the IRGC Navy without any problem or making any particular move and then continued the path to its specified destination."
It sounds to me like Iran is trying to spin a situation where IRGC vessels might literally say hello to U.S. warships transiting the Gulf and get a response as is normal in the high seas. U.S. Navy ships are definitely not seeking Iran's permission to enter the Gulf -- home of the American 5th Fleet at Bahrain.
While Iran's latest statement it laughable, it's submarines, missile boats, swarming speedboats and coastal-launched missiles may pose some threat to American forces in the region, U.S. naval officials are worried about Iran's ability to mine the heck out of the relatively narrow strait.
Just last week several admirals working on expeditionary power projection lamented the fact that countermine techniques cannot detect mines and clear paths through minefields fast enough. More on this tomorrow.
H/T to BI
