The threat of an imminent military strike by Israel against Iran is getting dramatically more likely, according to the analysis in the first link (from the Asia Times). Indeed it concludes that an “all out regional war is the likely outcome sooner or later.” It regards such a war as now being so inevitable that it rather cynically observes “We might as well get on with it.” Such a resigned expectation of a war being unpreventable is rather unusual in a reputable media outlet.
Also, the 9-25-12 issue of USA Today had a detailed article outlining how Iran could attack US ships, bases and interests all over the Mideast if such a war begins. It concludes that while the USA and its allies would win any such war, Iran can do serious damage to the USA and its allies. It notes that Iranian cruise missiles could sink US ships “if Iran shoots enough missiles at the same target at once” to overwhelm a ship’s defenses. It also analyzes the threats to US ships from super-fast torpedoes, mini-subs and swarms of small attack craft. I hope US admirals are smart enough to not assign too many US ships to stations within the Persian Gulf where they cannot get away from Iranian cruise missile attacks.
The article also warns about Iranian attacks against US citizens in the Mideast and Europe and also suggests that Iran “could launch poison gas rockets onto the US homeland” from Iranian civilian ships. This blog has often warned that Iran could fire cruise missiles at the USA from ostensibly-civilian ships to fire EMP warheads, but I think it is noteworthy that a major national American newspaper is also now openly warning Americans that Iran could fire rockets (cruise missiles most likely) at the USA from civilian ships.
The third link has a number of important elements in it. It primarily discusses a major naval exercise led by the USA and the UK (which includes many other nations). This exercise obviously is to demonstrate that many nations will fight to keep the oil routes through the Straits of Hormuz open if Iran seeks to shut that route during any Mideast war. However, it also has a map which shows three chokepoints that concern western military planners: two south of Iran and one where the Red Sea opens into the Gulf of Aden. The latter location controls all maritime access to the Suez Canal, and controlling that location with western and allied naval ships during a Mideast war will determine who is allowed to use Egypt’s Suez Canal in any conflict. I see a hidden message here: if Iran seeks to cut off all traffic through the straits of Hormuz and Egypt’s new Islamic Brotherhood leadership sides with Iran, western naval ships will decide who can use the Suez Canal (or whether anyone will be allowed to use it). This article also notes that relations between US President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu have reached such a nadir that German Prime Minister Merkel is trying to mediate between the two of them.
The USA Today article also reports another worrisome factor in the USA’s role in the Mideast. It cites US Secretary of State Clinton as saying it is not US policy to set any deadlines for Iran to comply with UN demands about its nuclear program. That is a policy of sheer appeasement and weakness. Combining that fact with the very poor American-Israeli relationship under President Obama, I think the Israelis are realizing they face a situation where they will have to “go it alone” vis à vis Iran. If the Israelis cannot rely on their traditional American ally, there is little reason for them to wait much longer to make their strike. It may be that if Obama is re-elected the Israelis will then strike Iran quickly because there is no hope for improved American-Israeli relations. However, if Romney is elected, the Israelis can look forward to the restoration of their normal alliance with America and may very well delay their strike until Romney is Commander-in-Chief so an attack against Iran could be coordinated closely between both nations and be more effective.
Now that a national American newspaper is warning Iran could hit the USA with missiles from civilian ships, and given the previously well-documented danger of Iran activating Hezbollah sleeper cells in the USA to attack civilian American targets, I’d like to ask you: Have you made any preparations for the crisis that would occur if this kind of warfare comes to the US homeland? Have you read or acted on the advice contained in my article: “Should Christians Prepare for Hard Times?” If not, I urge you you to read it and start making some preparations. That article contains a link to the FEMA.gov website which lists types of common-sense preparations all Americans ought to make for the security of their families. I think the FEMA site advises all American have enough supplies to be self-sufficient for three days in any kind of emergency. However, as people in New Orleans learned after Hurricane Katrina, it could take weeks before meaningful help arrives, so plan your preparations accordingly.
I think one more serious factor needs to be discussed in the event of Hezbollah or radical Islamic terrorist attacks occurring on US soil. Tens of millions of American men and women are heavily armed. If random terrorist attacks start occurring, millions of Americans with concealed-carry licenses will start carrying concealed weapons everywhere they go so they can fire on any terrorist that manifests in their midst. The police can’t be everywhere and armed citizens will become an effective first-line defense force against such attacks. Some states permit the “open carry” of firearms and in those states don’t be surprised if many Americans start walking around with guns on their hips. In such a situation, I urge all to not be trigger-happy and remain as calm as possible. I also urge all law-abiding Americans of any race, creed or religion to stand together as one against any terrorists unleashed on our soil. This is a serious topic, but it very likely to happen if Iran unleashes sleeper cells in the USA to attack Americans. I don’t see any establishment media willing to discuss this very obvious possible development, so I am going to mention it here. If such terrorist attacks happen in the USA, armed American citizens should try to act as closely as they can with local police authorities to coordinate ther activities for mutual protection.
We should all pray for peace, but prepare for what could happen if warfare comes to our home soil.
