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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Iran's Shab 3s are ordered to move every 24hrs
2006-03-09
Iran moves its Shahab 3 units
By Ed Blanche
Reports attributed to Western intelligence services said that on 19 January the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), which controls Iran's ballistic missile forces, was ordered to change the location of its mobile Shahab 3 batteries every 24 hours as a precautionary measure.
I would bet we are watching these real close
This was apparently done, for at least two weeks, with the batteries remaining within a 35 km radius, presumably to stay within range of their command-and-control centres. These reports said that the IRGC has moved Shahab 3 units to Kermanshah and Hamadan provinces in the west of the country, with reserve batteries deployed in Fars and Isfahan provinces further east.

Iran is believed to have six operational Shahab 3 brigades, the first of which was established in July 2003. These are mainly equipped with standard variants, but with others described as 'enhanced Shahab', with ranges of 1,300 km-1,500 km and 2,000 km respectively.
It's a Janes article and I don't have a subscription sorry. Maybe someone who does can re-post? Either way sounds like the Iranians are getting worried.
Posted by:C-Low

#17  Might be a feint.

The Shab 3 missile can reach Israel but not if it carries a heavy warhead.

The Shab 4 missile could probably reach Israel with a heavy warhead or Europe with a light warhead.

The mullahs may be thinking that if concentrate on taking out the Shab 3s, we might ignore the Shab 4s.
Posted by: mhw   2006-03-09 16:43  

#16  We need to take Iran a bit more seriously, I think. They have a lot more thatn these Shahab batteries, air defense, air force and minisub which would make them only a regional power if we left the region.

Their options include the ability to make trouble for us in Iran and Afghanistan and the ability to scuttle ships in the Straits. They may include nukes for all we know.

My sense from reading the [probably inaccurate] news is that Iran plans to do some clever out of the box things and has probably grown over confident. There has been some speculation we're expecting a move by them in Iraq pretty soon.
They have had a chance to study the US up close for 4+ years so they will have some ideas of where to attack.

Still, I think they overestimate their strength and our vulnerabilities. Even if they deliver a nuke we can vaporize them. I also think they underestimate how world attitudes about the need for 'peace' will change if they use the 'oil weapon'.

I'd like to see the more informed rantburgers start to outline the order of battle with Iran and what they could do to us in the region including our bases and in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the feasibility of tactics like mining the Straits of Hormuz or scuttling a large ship there.

From there we can speculate as to what moves we need to make (BDM capabilities to the theater, moving our own stuff around, shutting down GPS, moving B2s to Guam, etc). I suspect that anythign we do in Iran is a Navy/Air Force with our ground forces on defense in theater. I'm not a military guy, so I hope others post on this.

Not sure about the rest of you, but I've pretty much given up on the Mayday, "velvet revolution" scenario whereby the Mullahs are pushed aside. I wish we Americans could be friends with the great Persian civilization, but it's not in the cards. We may have to erase that civilization before this thing is over now that Ahmadinejad has nukes.
Posted by: JAB   2006-03-09 16:31  

#15  Thanks tw.
Posted by: ex-lib   2006-03-09 16:30  

#14  Ex-lib, I think the Shahab missiles are the ones being fitted for Iran's nuclear warheads. The ones whose range has been increased from able to reach Israel to able to reach most of Europe.
Posted by: trailing wife   2006-03-09 16:23  

#13  One can imagine they are sited in eastern Iran so as to be able to reach Israel, and later Europe. Let's just show them how a couple B2s can make a hole r=35km right quick...
Posted by: M. Murcek   2006-03-09 16:13  

#12  JSTARS just cleared up any mystery about there the launchers might be.

What maroon came up with the idea that MOVING them frequently helps to hide them?
Posted by: Chuck Simmins   2006-03-09 15:19  

#11  What are Shahab missles and what do they do exactly?
Posted by: ex-lib   2006-03-09 11:43  

#10  QUACK quack QUACK quack QUACK pop clink quack
quack quack pop clink.
Posted by: wxjames   2006-03-09 09:22  

#9  Visitor & RC-
You are exactly right. And after analyzing the movements I bet we can locate their C&C centers too.
Posted by: Spot   2006-03-09 08:16  

#8  Any bets there are J-STARs in the area?
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2006-03-09 07:36  

#7  Moving them actually assists the analysts.
Posted by: Visitor   2006-03-09 06:49  

#6  With the US using spy satellites capable of 1 centimeter per pixel resolution,, they had better be reading their Koran when bean jumping! That image would be better than the one in the header above!!
Posted by: smn   2006-03-09 01:34  

#5  Hmmmm, I wonder if this represents a level of operations that will be difficult to maintain over time. Will readiness and maintenance suffer?
Posted by: SteveS   2006-03-09 00:58  

#4  Seems to me that if they are staying within a 35 mile radius, presumably to remain within range of the C & C center, then the center of the circle is where we want the iron rain to fall first, then go after the individual launchers.
Posted by: USN Ret.   2006-03-09 00:56  

#3  Iran's Shab 3s are ordered to move every 24hrs

re: from Iran

....waiting....for the "MOTHER" woid.
Posted by: RD   2006-03-09 00:44  

#2  The m2s are running scared.
Posted by: Scooter McGruder   2006-03-09 00:16  

#1  Same or similar claims as for Saddam, and we all know how well that worked - NOT!?
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2006-03-09 00:09  

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