Khayembii Communique,
et al,
I'm waiting to see what results our actions
(military & diplomatic) have in terms of a response.
(COMMENT)
The use of sanctions, at every turn, gets to be old and much the stale threat; particularly when it comes to commodities like oil. No matter how little oil Iran produces, it has an impact on one nation or another. The US should ensure that the actions America takes does not have the inadvertent consequence of imposing additional economic hardships on its allies. The US does not have so many real allies that it can afford to inflict pain on them over a failed Nuclear Proliferation Policy.
Iran may have a bathtub Navy, but the US has to be careful not to underestimate the hardship it might be able to inflict. While it is generally assumed that in a face-off, the US 5th Fleet would crush the Iranian Navy, it was just this same kind of logic the Philistines had when Goliath was struck down.
We will need to be on guard. This could open a second front in the War on Terrorism; using asymmetric means to retaliate against an outside military hegemony. Even when the US obliterates the ability of Iran to project a challenge in conventionally, it would fair well for the underground Islamic World to adopt the plight of Iran in sympathy.
Most Respectfully,
R