Russian Admiral Says U.S.
Navy Prepares Missile Strike on Iran
By Moscow News
01/15/07 "MosNews" -- -- U.S. Navy nuclear submarines
maintaining vigil off the coast of Iran indicate that
the Pentagon’s military plans include not only control
over navigation in the Persian Gulf but also strikes
against Iranian targets, a former commander of the
Russian Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Eduard Baltin has told
the Interfax news agency.
“The presence of U.S. nuclear submarines in the Persian
Gulf region means that the Pentagon has not abandoned
plans for surprise strikes against nuclear targets in
Iran. With this aim a group of multi-purpose submarines
ready to accomplish the task is located in the area,”
Admiral Baltin said.
He made the comments after reports that a U.S. submarine
collided with a Japanese tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.
“American patience is not unlimited,” he said. “The
submarine commanders go up to the periscope depth and
forget about navigation rules and safety measures,” the
admiral said.
Currently there is a group of up to four submarines in
the Persian Gulf area, he said. So far they only control
navigation in the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and in
the Arabian Sea, he said. They might receive different
orders in future: to block off the Gulf of Oman, that is
the Iranian coast, and, if need be, launch missile
strikes against ground targets in Iran, he said.
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