Silent Irannings

More droppings from Iran as America tightens the lasso (courtesy of the Federalist Patriot):


Tehran blows off steam, not missiles

Iran claimed this week to have fired a number of missiles, including their shiny new Russian-made SA-15 surface-to-air missiles, as well as naval missiles able to sink big warships. Each claim was accompanied by media footage showing missile-launch activity. However, long-time Iran watchers spotted a familiar Iranian trick: the SA-15 footage is from a Russian marketing video seen previously at various international arms shows and could not be Iranian footage. Nice try, Iran, but we’ve seen better propaganda on YouTube.

So, why might Iran want to make these two near-simultaneous claims of military capability? Well, there’s one reason and at 97,000 tons, it’s a big one. USS John C. Stennis, the second aircraft carrier President Bush has ordered to the Persian Gulf, is approaching the Arabian Peninsula. The 23 February deadline imposed by UN Security Council Resolution 1737 in December, requiring Iran to adhere to its Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty obligations, is also fast approaching. Remember last summer’s claims of submarine-launched missiles and flying boats, also occurring prior to a UNSC deadline? Iran is apparently feeling the heat of the U.S. Navy’s big stick and wants to brandish a stick of its own. Look for more such claims to come out of Tehran over the next two weeks.