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Iran says could deploy navy near U.S. coast: report

On paper, they could back it up:
List of current ships of the Iranian Navy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

They have 3 British-built Vosper Mk5 type Frigates (small warships) and 1 Iranian copy (a second copy is due to be launched in 2012) for a total of four. These would certainly be blue-water ships. They have 2 corvettes (smaller than Frigates) that may or may not be capable of blue-water operations. Corvettes are almost always used for coastal patrol. Their greatest threat are 3 Kilo-class, ex-soviet subs. These can definitely make it across an ocean. But they are very old. Most, if not all, of Russia's Kilos are swinging at anchor, unable to move. Russia cannot afford to keep them maintained so who can say about Iran?

The rest of Iran's "navy" are patrol boats that cannot make trans-oceanic journeys.

Theoretically, Iran could send 9 ships to the US. But there are complications. Iran has no UNREP (Underway Replenishment) capability like the USN does. They would need to find friendly ports along the way to take on provisions. Hugo Chavez would almost certainly help. Cuba might, it's hard to say. US relations with Cuba have been "polite" if not friendly. At the height of his power Castro would've helped for certain. Since taking over for his brother Fidel, Raul may want to maintain cordial relations with the US and refuse a port for Iran.

Fuel is not the main problem for Iran. Water and food for the crews are the biggest problems for ocean-going ships. Iran's navy isn't used to such long-range voyages. Also, making that trip during hurricane season would be a major eye-opener for them. I expect their crews have never experienced the power of an angry Atlantic.

Iran would be lucky to make it whole distance. And they could "show the flag" for propaganda purposes, but their violently seasick, starved, and dehydrated crews would be in no shape to fight a Cub Scout Row Boat Club, much less the United States Navy.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I was getting at. You nailed it.
 
Is it leaner and meaner....or is it smaller in terms of ability

than immediately post-WWII?

even a 1940's era cruiser projects more power than no ship at all.
 
And it still has plenty more than Iran.

yes, and they are stretched exceedingly thin - and facing deep cuts if the "super committee" doesn't pull off a friggin political miracle.


the point here isn't that Iran could take on and defeat the US in an offensive naval war; but rather to point out that the US Navy is historically weak at the moment, and likely to only get more so in the near future.
 
do they have any blue-water capability whatsoever? or are they just talking smack without being able to back it up...

Pure smack...the only thing they are good at.....they would never make it anywhere near our coast first of all
 
as is the counterpoint that quantity has a quality all it's own.

CP...our navy is most certainly smaller...just like every other branch...but its far faster and has more firepower than before
 
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran raised the prospect on Tuesday of sending military ships close to the United States' Atlantic coast, in what would be a major escalation of tensions between the long-standing adversarie

Nah Iran knows better...just huffin and puffin as usual..


Iran says could deploy navy near U.S. coast: report - The West Australian

This is completely idiotic. I doubt Iran could even reach us and if they could we'd blow their navy to bits before they were within several hundred kliks of the US coast.
 


It's just such a terrible, terrible shame that here are no gays in Iran.

What potential opportunities for detente.....
 
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran raised the prospect on Tuesday of sending military ships close to the United States' Atlantic coast, in what would be a major escalation of tensions between the long-standing adversarie

Nah Iran knows better...just huffin and puffin as usual..


Iran says could deploy navy near U.S. coast: report - The West Australian

To all those saying that we would blow up their navy, for what?? Hanging out in international waters ?

I think they were showing the hypocrisy of how the US is always floating around off the coast of Iran.
 
nations that are going to send ships to attack us don't announce it.

and countries that don't like us just buy us with oil, cheap goods, or debt. using military force would be the dumbest way imaginable to attack America.

They needn't worry. We're destroying ourselves.
 
To all those saying that we would blow up their navy, for what?? Hanging out in international waters ?

Yes, clearly, the Iranians want to steam their Navy out in into the Western Atlantic just to "hang out" and "chill with the bros."

I think they were showing the hypocrisy of how the US is always floating around off the coast of Iran.

I'm not saying they shouldn't. I'm saying it's a dumb idea.
 
I doubt we would blow Iran's Navy up for being in international waters, but I'm somewhat sure our Navy would be floating around near them and our armaments would be ready to take them out if if they did anything other than float off the coast - something I would expect from any other country, including Iran, if the US is floating around off their coast.

My earlier response was to an intrusion into our territorial waters - not international waters. Territorial waters are normally ~14 miles from the low-water coastline.
 
Even a fraction of our navy could wipe them out. People need to stop freaking out so much about Iran. I'm not saying that they pose no threat whatsoever, but their ability to project power is very limited.
 
Even a fraction of our navy could wipe them out. People need to stop freaking out so much about Iran. I'm not saying that they pose no threat whatsoever, but their ability to project power is very limited.

It can't be about Iran projecting power...but perhaps getting America to do something which will void in whole or in part a treaty? Think about who Iran's allies are.
 
The most economically devastating of Iran’s potential responses would be closure of the Strait of Hormuz. They can blame their leadership for the presence of the US navy. Stop threatening the worlds oil supply might be a more productive policy for Iran.
 
I see the paranoia is still ripe among many American's....

Iran, like any other nation with a boat, has the right to put its boats where ever it wants in international waters. Big wupti do.
 
I see the paranoia is still ripe among many American's....

Iran, like any other nation with a boat, has the right to put its boats where ever it wants in international waters. Big wupti do.

Paranoia ?? who the hell is threatening who here Pete ? and yeah they have a right to put their ships anywhere they want...until someone sinks them
 
I see the paranoia is still ripe among many American's....

Iran, like any other nation with a boat, has the right to put its boats where ever it wants in international waters. Big wupti do.
Pete makes a good point here. Why should the US expect to be allowed to float off Iran's coast in international waters if Iran isn't allowed to do the same off the US coast? At one time the US probably could have claimed it was protecting nearby countries without armies sizable enough to protect themselves from Iran, but given the illegal invasion of Iraq, the only-very-recent repeal of clearly discriminatory legislation like DADT, the many violations of the Geneva Convention at Gitmo, etc., the US is not currently in a position to say they are only there to protect and expect anyone to believe it.
 
I see the paranoia is still ripe among many American's....

Iran, like any other nation with a boat, has the right to put its boats where ever it wants in international waters. Big wupti do.

Iran certainly has that right under maritime law, provided that their ships can make it that far. But it's clear they are attempting to intimidate the USA. What you are perceiving as "paranoia" is better described as...snickering and outright guffaws.

Trying to intimidate the US with the Iranian Navy is like trying to intimidate a tiger with a duck.
 
Pete makes a good point here. Why should the US expect to be allowed to float off Iran's coast in international waters if Iran isn't allowed to do the same off the US coast? At one time the US probably could have claimed it was protecting nearby countries without armies sizable enough to protect themselves from Iran, but given the illegal invasion of Iraq, the only-very-recent repeal of clearly discriminatory legislation like DADT, the many violations of the Geneva Convention at Gitmo, etc., the US is not currently in a position to say they are only there to protect and expect anyone to believe it.

The question, to me, really isn't what one navy or another should or shouldn't do. It's about what one navy CAN or CAN'T do, and what the other navy has the capability of doing to it.
 
I see the paranoia is still ripe among many American's....

Iran, like any other nation with a boat, has the right to put its boats where ever it wants in international waters. Big wupti do.

If you decided to read the thread before you posted, you'd notice people are commenting on the futility of it as an intimidation tactic, rather than the legality of it.
 
It can't be about Iran projecting power...but perhaps getting America to do something which will void in whole or in part a treaty? Think about who Iran's allies are.

And Iran's leaders are not stupid. They are years behind in making a bomb, and if anything would use it for deterrence. This would complicate things with regard to Israel, but they have plenty of nukes too.
 
The question, to me, really isn't what one navy or another should or shouldn't do. It's about what one navy CAN or CAN'T do, and what the other navy has the capability of doing to it.
So are you saying that the Iranian Navy cannot float off the US coast in international waters? If so, what is your reasoning.
 
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