Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Iranian Weapon Roll-Out Continues

The nearly week-long display of military gimcracks by Iran is clear evidence that they are somewhat concerned about the possible intentions of the "Great Satan" as the U.S. is known in Ayatollah-speak.

Fearsome new weaponry is being introduced to the world stage at a fast and furious pace.

Iran successfully tested a "super-modern flying boat'' on Tuesday and the land-to-sea Kowsar missile that military analysts say is designed to sink ships in the Gulf, state media reported.

The tests came in the middle of Gulf war games that started on Friday. Iranian state radio said the Kowsar could evade radar and that its guidance system could not be scrambled.

The implied threat to oil tankers will not be taken lightly in Washington.

Iran rarely gives enough details of its military hardware for analysts to determine whether Tehran is making genuine advances or simply producing defiant propaganda while pressure ratchets up on its nuclear program.

Although Iran can draw on huge manpower, its naval and air-force technology is largely dismissed as obsolete.

The United States said it was possible Iran had developed weapons that could evade sonar and radar but warned the Islamic Republic had a tendency to "boast and exaggerate.''

Interesting in light of the acknowledged boastful and exaggerated claims by Iran that the U.S. media finds it newsworthy enough to prominently feature these reports of Iranian military developments. A cynic might see the dimmest outlines of an agenda in play.

The Revolutionary Guards, the elite branch of Iran's military, have been holding their maneuvers -- code-named the "Great Prophet" -- since Friday, touting what they call domestically built technological advances in their armed forces.

But some experts say it appears some of the technology has come from other countries, possibly Russia, and some experts also have questioned just how adept the missiles are at evading radar.

It is remarkable how seamlessly the anti-Russia info-op fits into the larger anti-Iran program. Synergies like this can enhance value in such an enterprise, credibility being the currency in psy-ops.

We will not have to wait long for the next installment in this saga, Iran plans to announce another new weapon, a missile, this afternoon.

11 Comments:

Blogger M1 said...

So what do u say Monsieur Effwit...are we going for it or is this just all but a part of a sable rattling poker bluff?

4/04/2006 5:24 PM  
Blogger Effwit said...

M1:

It's a bluff, all the preposterous details are the giveaway.

But the American public will buy it. That's why we are seeing it played up in the media.

4/04/2006 5:29 PM  
Blogger M1 said...

Oh, sorry. I meant, are we really gonna smash Iran or are we just rusing them into thinking so? What's your take?

4/05/2006 6:08 AM  
Blogger Effwit said...

M1:

An attack would be a pretty counter-productive thing when viewed by the international community. Not that W and cronies care about that.

The effort being made to sell the American public on the danger of the Iranian bomb leads me to think that serious consideration is being made to hitting them.

It would, of course, be operationally better to hit them out of the blue, with no warning to the world. But the American public, and the important financial sector, would likely react adversely to a sudden move. A little warning to the American people (and attempts to gain domestic support for such a move) is worth tipping Iran to the plan.

Of course, that may be the whole idea of the info-op. ;-)

I wish I knew the real story. The silence from the U.S. military is not re-assuring to anyone hoping against a strike.

4/05/2006 8:35 AM  
Blogger M1 said...

Are you a god damn politician? Just a Yes or a No will suffice. Where would you bet your welfare cheque - Attack or nor attack this year?

4/06/2006 2:47 PM  
Blogger Effwit said...

M1:

LOL

No strike.

Just a gut feel.

4/06/2006 3:10 PM  
Blogger Effwit said...

M1:

One makes better decisions by throwing the I Ching, or even using the Magic 8-Ball, than by thinking with one's dick.

Good call, though, on the black tea sans sweetener. You must be using your newfangled surveillance gizmo.

4/06/2006 6:49 PM  
Blogger M1 said...

No gizmo, I just know the feng shui-ish M.O. of your average Pinko. ;)

4/08/2006 9:46 AM  
Blogger Effwit said...

M1:

Not wearing Birkenstocks must count for something.

4/08/2006 10:11 AM  
Blogger M1 said...

Makes u a meat-eating Pinko in my Book of Harsh Judgment

4/09/2006 5:53 AM  
Blogger Effwit said...

M1:

Confidence is not high for those details.

4/09/2006 6:58 AM  

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