Israel Warns It Might Act on Iranian Warships Passing Through Suez Canal

[VandeWiel]

Het was al een paar keer uitgesteld, maar nu zijn twee Iraanse marineschepen dan toch begonnen aan de doorvaart door het Suezkanaal in Egypte. Dat meldt de instantie die de scheepvaart over de belangrijke waterweg organiseert.

De passage van de oorlogsschepen is omstreden. Israël, de aartsvijand van Iran, beschouwt de doortocht als een ernstige provocatie. Het land is bang dat Iran wapens levert aan Syrië.

Sinds de Iraanse revolutie in 1979 zijn er geen Iraanse marineschepen meer gevaren door het kanaal, dat de Rode Zee met de Middellandse Zee verbindt.

© ANP


http://www.rtl.nl/(/actueel/rtlnieuws/buitenland/)/components/actueel/rtlnieuws/2011/02_februari/22/buitenland/oorlogsbodems-iran-door-suezkanaal.xml

[VandeWiel]

And, finally, the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier was quietly transferred from Bahrain, headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet amid the anti-government uprising, to a point opposite the Iranian Gulf coast.

Als het waar is, dan zijn dit zeer interessante gegevens. Ik geloof dat er al genoeg te doen is in de wereld om hier ook nog eens een escalatie toe te laten.

Vooral de verplaatsing van de Lincoln is interessant aangezien de VS dan blijkbaar signalen afgeeft dat de VS groter zal terugslaan bij escalatie dan alleen bij Suez. Of ze willen hem alvast veilig leggen om uit de golf te kunnen geraken als het echt goed fout gaat

[VandeWiel]

The repeated delays and contradictory statements about the two Iranian warships' transit of the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean is accounted for by a standoff between the Iranian flotilla and five US warships deployed in recent days at the waterway's southern entrance and along its course, DEBKAfile's sources disclose.

Thursday night, Feb. 17, the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, escorted by missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf and the fast supply ship USNS Arctic, headed south through the canal. By Friday morning, they were through and taking up position opposite the Kharg cruiser and Alvand missile destroyer of the Iranian Navy's 12th Flotilla, which were waiting to enter the Suez Canal at the southern Red Sea entrance.
Furthermore, since the first week of February, the USS Kearsarge, another aircraft carrier, was posted in the Great Bitter Lake opposite Ismailia and the canal's main routes with a large contingent of marines aboard.

The USS George Washington carrier and the USS Carl Vinson were additionally deployed in the Gulf of Aden, the latter having been moved from the Pacific.


A battle of nerves is therefore underway.

The Iranian warships found themselves cheek to jowl with a major concentration of America naval might piling up in the Red Sea and Suez and were not sure what would happen if they went forward with their mission to transit the Suez Canal for the Mediterranean for the first time in 30 years on their way to Syria.

Sunday night, the Canal authorities announced another 48 hours delay shortly after Tehran state TV claimed the warships were already through to the Mediterranean.

And, finally, the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier was quietly transferred from Bahrain, headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet amid the anti-government uprising, to a point opposite the Iranian Gulf coast.

This pile-up of US naval, air and marine might at strategic points in the Middle East is a warning to meddlers to keep their hands off the revolutions, uprisings and protests sweeping Arab nations. It carries a special message for Tehran that the Obama administration will not permit the Islamic Republic's rulers to make military and political hay from the unrest - in Bahrain or anywhere else.

By positioning the Enterprise opposite Iran's 12th Flotilla at the Red Sea entrance to the Suez Canal on Feb. 17 Washington has confronted Tehran with a hard dilemma, which was practically spelled out by US State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley a day earlier: "If the ships move through the canal, we will evaluate what they actually do," he said. "It's not really about the ships. It's about what the ships are carrying, what's their destination, what's the cargo on board, where's it going, to whom and for what benefit."

This was the US spokesman's answer to the DEBKAfile disclosure of Feb. 16 that the Kharg was carrying long-range surface missiles for Hizballah. It raised the possibility that the moment they venture to sail into the Suez Canal, the two Iranian warships will be boxed in between the Enterprise and the Kearsarge and called upon the allow their cargoes to be inspected as permitted by the last round of UN sanctions against Iran in the case of suspicious war freights.

According to DEBKAfile's intelligence sources, the flurry of conflicting statements from Cairo and Tehran were issued to muddy the situation surrounding the Iranian flotilla and cloud Tehran's uncertainty about how to proceed.  The next date announced for their passage, Tuesday night, Feb. 22, will be a testing moment.


http://www.debka.com/article/20692/

[Lex]

Report: Iranian warships to cross Suez Tuesday

(CNN) -- Two Iranian warships will cross the Suez Canal on Tuesday, four days after Egypt's post-Hosni Mubarak government gave the green light to the passage, Egyptian state-run news website EgyNews reported Monday.

They are expected to be the first such ships to sail through the Suez since the Islamic republic's 1979 revolution.

The move puts Egypt's new military regime in a prickly position with its Israeli neighbor.

The canal is an internal body of water, and as such, Egypt has sovereignty over it. But Egypt also is bound by the 1978 Camp David Accords, which guarantee the right of free passage by ships belonging to Israel and all other nations on the basis of the Constantinople Convention of 1888. Before that, Egypt did not allow Israeli ships to sail through the canal.

Earlier this month, Egypt's newly empowered military government said it would honor all its international treaties, including Camp David.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran on Sunday of trying to expand its influence in the region by planning to send the warships.

Netanyahu said Israel views the crossing of the Iranian ships through the Suez Canal "gravely."

The Suez Canal is a key waterway for international trade. It connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, allowing ships to navigate between Europe and Asia without having to go around Africa.

Millions of barrels of oil move through the Suez every day en route to Europe and North America.

David Schenker, director of the Program on Arab Politics at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said last week that the Iranians had asked for a frigate and military supply ship to cross into the Mediterranean. Both are armed with missiles, he said, adding that their passage would create more uncertainty in the region.

Iran said earlier that the flotilla was on a yearlong intelligence-gathering and training mission to prepare cadets to defend Iran's cargo ships and oil tankers from the threat of attack by Somali pirates, according to the semiofficial Fars News Agency.

CNN,
February 21, 2011 -- Updated 2041 GMT (0441 HKT)

[Lex]

Israel eyes Suez trip of Iran warships with worry

CAIRO (AP) — Iran's first attempt in decades to send warships through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean on Europe's — and NATO's — southern flank could further destabilize the Middle East, a region already reeling from an unprecedented wave of anti-government rebellions.
Egypt's new military rulers, who took power from ousted Hosni Mubarak a little more than a week ago, have granted two Iranian warships passage through the strategic waterway — something Israel has made clear it views as a provocation. Still, Egypt appeared to have no other choice because an international convention regulating shipping says the canal must be open "to every vessel of commerce or of war."
Iranian warships have not passed through the Suez Canal since 1979.
The vessels bound for Syria are not expected to enter the canal before Tuesday or Wednesday, according to maritime sources in Egypt. On Sunday, the frigate Alvand and the supply ship Kharq were still near the southern entrance to the canal.
The canal linking the Red Sea and the Mediterranean enables ships to avoid a lengthy sail around Africa. The Iranian ships are headed for a training mission in Syria, a close ally of Iran's hardline Islamic rulers and an arch foe of Israel. In Syria, officials at the Iranian embassy said it would mark the first time in years that Iranian warships dock in a Syrian port.
Iran is suspected by the U.S. and Israel of gearing its nuclear program to develop weapons, something Tehran denies. Israel considers Iran an existential threat and is watching the warships' movements with growing alarm. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran on Sunday of trying to exploit recent instability in Egypt and told his Cabinet he views Iran's moves "with gravity."
The request by the Iranians to send the warships through Suez is a test of the foreign policy intentions of Egypt's new military rulers, the gatekeepers of the canal. Mubarak, an ally of Israel and the U.S. who ruled for nearly 30 years, was toppled Feb. 11 by a popular uprising and the country is now run by a military council. Mubarak was considered a bulwark in the region against Islamic extremism.
"Iran wants to say to the world, to the U.S., Israel and other countries in the Mideast that it has reach not only in areas close to it but also farther away, including in the Mediterranean," said Ephraim Kam of the Institute for National Security Studies in Israel.
He said Iran is also signaling to Israel that it is prepared to protect its allies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon on Israel's northern and southern flanks.
A senior Iranian naval commander told an Iranian news agency already several days before the Jan. 25 start of the revolt in Egypt that Iran planned to dispatch warships to the Mediterranean, via the Suez Canal. The commander said candidly at the time that the mission was to gather intelligence on the region and train Navy cadets to protect Iranian cargo ships and oil tankers against attacks by Somali pirates.
But Iran appears to have more far-reaching objectives, including asserting itself as a regional power and testing whether Egypt's new rulers will stick to Mubarak's pro-Western line, analysts said.
Iran's influence has grown in recent years, with the political rise of its proxies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and its close alliance with Syria. At the same time, Israel lost the friendship of Turkey and the nature of its with post-Mubarak Egypt remains uncertain.
Egyptian-Iranian ties broke down after Tehran's Islamic Revolution of 1979 and the signing of the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty the same year. Later, the relationship improved slightly, with contacts currently channeled through interest sections in the two capitals.
Iran's request last week to send warships through the Suez Canal came at a particularly difficult time for Egypt, with the transition government focused on pressing domestic issues, including restoring security after the uprising.
"Iran now sees a window of opportunity to force the Egyptian government to make a stand and either tell Iranians something unpopular in Egypt (denying passage) or allow something that would be a diplomatic coup for Iran, and put the onus on Israel to make a defensive gesture," said Shashank Joshi, an analyst at the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies in London.
Canal officials, citing an 1888 international convention regulating shipping, said Egypt had no choice but to permit passage to the Iranian vessels. The convention says the canal must be open "to every vessel of commerce or of war."
It was not immediately clear whether Iran had requested passage for its warships at any time since 1979, and if not, then why.
Applying the same principle, Egypt has also permitted the passage of an Israeli Dolphin-class submarine, which according to foreign reports is capable of firing nuclear-tipped cruise missiles.
In Brussels, NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said Sunday that the decision on the Iranian vessels "is up to the authorities of the Suez Canal." Diplomats at NATO said privately that the organization was in no position to object since it insists on right of free passage of naval vessels through international waters.
Israel's options appear limited, since the perceived provocation may not be enough to warrant a strong Israeli complaint.
Netanyahu did not say Sunday how Israel might respond, if at all.
Avi Dichter, Israel's former internal security minister, said Israel should be more concerned about Iran's suspected nuclear weapons ambitions — denied by Tehran — than about two naval ships reaching the Mediterranean.

AP, February 20th 2011

[KapiteinRob]

Kort om... we zien het wel (of niet) op CNN

Ach, wel of niet te zien op CNN: Noord-Korea kwam er ook mee weg..... 

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

en blijft het bij twee schepen?

Tegen de tijd dat de hele Iraanse "vloot" in de Middelandse Zee ligt, vrees ik dat de Israelische Dolphins en/of luchtmacht in actie gaat komen.

Kort om... we zien het wel (of niet) op CNN

[KapiteinRob]

en blijft het bij twee schepen?

Tegen de tijd dat de hele Iraanse "vloot" in de Middelandse Zee ligt, vrees ik dat de Israelische Dolphins en/of luchtmacht in actie gaat komen.

[Elzenga]

Misschien dat het begrip "Territorial/International waters" hier gaat opspelen.

Ben ook benieuwd hoe ver ze van de Israëlische kust  gaan varen en hoe vaak ze gaan liggen te klieren tijdens hun "trainingsjaar".

Ja precies...en wat zullen ze doen als er weer een civiel hulpkonvooi richting Gaza gaat? en blijft het bij twee schepen?

[KapiteinRob]

In het diplomatieke verkeer geld dit m.i. als provocatie.

Als ik een Iraansee pet opzet, kan ik ook zoiets roepen over die Amerikaanse vliegdekschepen...... 

Misschien heeft Iran de beste bedoelingen

Misschien vallen Pasen en Pinksteren ooit nog eens op 1 dag.....

[Enforcer]

Misschien dat het begrip "Territorial/International waters" hier gaat opspelen.

Ben ook benieuwd hoe ver ze van de Israëlische kust  gaan varen en hoe vaak ze gaan liggen te klieren tijdens hun "trainingsjaar".

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has described Iran's plan to send the ships through the canal en route to Syria as a "provocation".

Overdrijven is ook een vak.

De meeste oorlogen zijn begonnen van wegen overdrijven, onbenulligheden en haantjesgedrag...

Onderschat de emotie niet... ook al  zal dit, wederom, een storm in een glas water blijken te zijn...

[KapiteinRob]

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has described Iran's plan to send the ships through the canal en route to Syria as a "provocation".

Overdrijven is ook een vak.

[Lex]

Iran naval ships to cross Suez Canal on Monday

CAIRO, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Two Iranian naval ships will sail through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean on Monday, a Suez Canal official said, in what will be the first passage of Iranian naval ships through the canal since 1979.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has described Iran's plan to send the ships through the canal en route to Syria as a "provocation".

The official said the vessels would arrive at the southern mouth of the canal in the Red Sea's Gulf of Suez on Sunday. They would enter the canal in the northern convoy on Monday morning and complete the journey to the Mediterranean by evening.

An Egyptian army source said on Friday that the military, which has been running Egypt since President Hosni Mubarak was toppled from power on Feb. 11, had approved Iran's request to send the ships through the canal.

The decision had posed an early diplomatic headache for Egypt's interim government. Cairo is an ally of the United States and has a peace treaty with Israel but its relations with Iran have been strained since the 1979 revolution.

Egypt's Western allies are watching for hints of any shift in policy towards its Middle East neighbours.

Reuters Africa,
Sat Feb 19, 2011 10:38pm GMT

[Lex]

Misschien dat het begrip "Territorial/International waters" hier gaat opspelen.