On the 21st of last month, the US Ohio-class nuclear submarine USS Georgia (left) and the cruiser USS Port Royal sail through the Strait of Hormuz, a crude oil transport route in the Persian Gulf. The U.S. Navy reported that on the same day, the Georgian had passed the Strait of Hormuz. US Navy provided
Tensions are rising between the United States and Iran, ahead of the first cycle of General Gasem Soleymani, the Iranian military commander who died in a US air raid. This is as Iran puts a “fight on fire” with a pledge of retaliation and the threat of nuclear development at the pride of the US mobilizing nuclear weapons. There are also concerns that US President Donald Trump is on the verge of retirement and is not a person to refrain from military action.
CNN broadcast on the 1st (local time), citing US defense sources, reported that Iran has strengthened its naval power over the last two days in the Gulf waters. Although the specific level is not known, the broadcast speculates that it would have increased the deployment of battleships and raised the alert posture. In addition, short-range ballistic missiles are being deployed to Iraq one after another, CNN reported.
The first to act was the United States. On the 21st of last month, a picture of the Ohio-class nuclear submarine USS Georgia was released, sailing in the Strait of Hormuz off Iran. It is very rare for the United States to disclose the location of a nuclear submarine in operation. On the 30th, the strategic nuclear bomber B-52 was launched from the mainland into the Gulf waters. They pressed Iran through armed protests.
This is due to the imminent date of General Soleimani, commander of the Kuds Army (revolutionary guard elite). He was evaluated as the second most powerful leader, Ayatollah Ali Hamenei, and died on January 3 last year in Baghdad, Iraq by an attack by an U.S. military unmanned aerial vehicle (drone), and Iran was astonished. Cycle 1 is a good time for retaliatory action.
The real Iranian trend is not just defensive military movements. According to Iran’s state-run IRNA, General Esmail Ghani, who succeeded Soleimani as commander of the Kuds Army, said on the day that “someone will appear in the house of the enemy (US) to revenge for their crimes.” It is done,” he warned.
The intention to resume nuclear development is also showing. In a statement issued today, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said, “According to a law recently passed by Iran, the Atomic Energy Agency has made a report that it will produce up to 20% of low-enriched uranium (LEU) at the Pordo enrichment facility. . Reuters reported the date of the report as the 31st of last month.
The 20% exceeded the concentration limit (3.67%) set by the Iranian nuclear agreement (JCPOA, Comprehensive Joint Action Plan). The JCPOA signed with Iran in 2015 by six countries, including Britain, France, Germany, the United States, Russia and China, states that Iran will give up nuclear development and six countries will lift economic sanctions against Iran in return.
The cover of the New York Post with the phrase “Stop being crazy” next to a photo of US President Donald Trump. New York Post website
The problem is the possibility that the Trump administration will use Iran’s provocative actions as a trigger for an attack. Arab media Dar al-Hayat said on the 31st of last month, citing comments by US sources, that Israel and Saudi Arabia are lobbying President Trump to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities before leaving office.
President Trump is an unpredictable person. International security expert Tom Nicholas recently contributed to the US current affairs magazine Atlantic in a column titled “Trump can still start war with Iran at the last minute.” “As President Trump retired, military operations put a burden on President-elect Joe Biden. I can fully think of a situation that can be erased.”
Kwon Kyung-seong reporter [email protected]
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