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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| US jets scouting out targets inside Iran |
| 2005-01-30 |
| The US is increasing the pressure on Iran by sending military planes into its airspace to test the country's defences and spot potential targets, according to an intelligence source in Washington. The overflights have been reported in the Iranian press and the head of Iran's air force, Brigadier General Karim Qavami, declared recently that he had ordered his anti-aircraft batteries to shoot down any intruders, but there have been no reports of any Iranian missiles being launched. "The idea is to get the Iranians to turn on their radar, to get an assessment of their air defences," an intelligence source in Washington said. He said the flights were part of the Pentagon's contingency planning for a possible attack on sites linked to Iran's suspected nuclear weapons programme. "It make sense to get a look at their air defences, and it makes the mullahs nervous during the EU negotiations (over the suspension of Iranian uranium enrichment)," said John Pike, the head of GlobalSecurity.org, an independent military research group. The flights come after reports of American special forces incursions into Iran. However, former US intelligence officials have said they believe the incursions are being carried out by Iranian rebels drawn from the anti-Tehran rebel group, the Mujahedin-e-Khalq, under US supervision. The US military denied the reports. "We're not flying over frigging Iran," an official said, suggesting Tehran was making up the incidents to attract international sympathy. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #16 Lurker is right. We know. Today's Rantburg Truth Moment is brought to you by the letters R and C and the numbers 1 3 and 5 (among other assets) (Google is your friend). |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2005-01-30 9:17:20 PM |
| #15 Lurker is right. We know. Today's Rantburg Truth Moment is brought to you by the letters R and C and the numbers 1 3 and 5 (among other assets) (Google is your friend). |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2005-01-30 9:17:20 PM |
| #14 "We’re not flying over frigging Iran,"......."as far as you know....." |
| Posted by: Jarhead 2005-01-30 10:57:59 PM |
| #13 We may not need to overfly Iran, but it sure sounds like pilot fun :-D Or maybe just mind games -- but fun ones! |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-01-30 9:51:38 PM |
| #12 http://www.combataircraft.com/aircraft/src135.asp |
| Posted by: Tom 2005-01-30 9:21:30 PM |
| #11 Lurker is right. We know. Today's Rantburg Truth Moment is brought to you by the letters R and C and the numbers 1 3 and 5 (among other assets) (Google is your friend). |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2005-01-30 9:17:20 PM |
| #10 Gentlemen, please. The Iranian IADS is well known and well mapped, there are few surprises waiting for us should we decide to roll it back. There are a lot of surprises waiting for their anti-shipping missiles should they be so foolish as to engage with them. We have no need to play with their international borders, on sea or in the air, to get them to reveal anything new to us. We know what is Iranian military, that is, professional and nationalist and not truly opposed to the USA; what is Islamic nutjob and dedicated to destruction (ours or theirs, whichever we can effect first); and what is gangland thug, the street mobsters and brownshirts that work directly for the Mullahs. We know how to kill the right targets and leave the rest for the children of Iran to string up from the lampposts. Apparently, the Mullahs know this, too. |
| Posted by: longtime lurker 2005-01-30 8:53:10 PM |
| #9 Mad mullah options: 1) Ignore incursions, keep the radars off, and have no warning before a real first strike. 2) Turn the radars on and make them prime targets. 3) Fire missiles, waste them, and lose face (if that's possible). 4) Launch weather balloons and claim the locals' reports of UFOs are weather balloons rather than foreign military aircraft. 5) Duck and cover -- constantly. |
| Posted by: Tom 2005-01-30 7:59:48 PM |
| #8 3rd straight day a very similar article's been posted. Even the mullahs have read it by now |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-01-30 7:46:30 PM |
| #7 Yeah .... those software bugs, you know how it is. (ACTUALLY, those UAVs are the ones that were struck by lightning -- Number Five IS ALIVE and monitoring Iran all by his mechanical self. You go, guys!!!) |
| Posted by: true nuff 2005-01-30 7:08:07 PM |
| #6 "we're not flying over frigging Iran",but those darn UAV's,it's amazing how often they get lost and wander all over the place,just ignoring borders as if they weren't there. |
| Posted by: Stephen 2005-01-30 7:03:47 PM |
| #5 Wrong again! Its not US warplanes at all. Its just some plain old UFO's attracted by the radiation from Iranian Uranium purification Plants. Little green man were actually reported to be mucking around the Centrifuges at Natanz ! |
| Posted by: EoZ 2005-01-30 6:15:42 PM |
| #4 "We’re not flying over frigging Iran," OK I believe you. It's Martians. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2005-01-30 6:15:25 PM |
| #3 I suspect that at the moment the mullahs are more worried about the Blue Finger Brigades assembling on the other side of the border. They'll probably ban the sale of blue ink tomorrow. |
| Posted by: Matt 2005-01-30 6:11:29 PM |
| #2 Hey guys! Wanna play a really fun game? It's called Wild Weasel. It's got Thrills! Excitement! And a Big Explosive Finish! |
| Posted by: SteveS 2005-01-30 6:03:54 PM |
| #1 ROFL! Oops, got all dirty and linty again. Gotta stop reading stuff like this. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-01-30 5:48:18 PM |