Originally Posted by
jolihokistix
Could the Gulf states and/or the US Navy offer Dead-or-Alive bounties on Iranian 'herders' in certain waters?
That would be suicidal.
Any attack or attempt to attack or move on the Iranian herders....which largely consist of speed boats, fishing boats, tugs, rig support ships, ekranoplan and LCT's plus anything else deemed to float and equipped with something as basic as a couple of AK-47 (not to mention the loitering Ghadir)...would send Iran into an absolute frenzy. The risk of retaliation would be huge.
This war against Iran underestimated the ability of Iran to fight back. They might not have a Navy left or an Air Force...least not in a western sense...but they have ardent fighters who will defend their leadership to the death and not only at sea in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman but the Red Sea and Bab-el-Mandab Strait.
Iran have used a variety of ships and boats for decades, they really did not need a full scale military force......a dozen well armed men using speed boats is ample to cause intimidation and, in some cases, people to be killed. Remember the USS Cole in 2000, attacked by a small boat with two men in Aden...Al-Qaeda carried it out. The Houthi are as active now as Al-Qaeda were back then. Two men, one small boat killed 17 USN sailors and injured several others....it would be far worse now.
Iran has effectively perfected guerilla warfare on land, at sea (and in the air with their drones). Gulf States are more westernised in their military ability than Iran....in a world where tenacity and creativity ruled how a country acts militarily, Iran wins hands down. Don't forget there are many Iran backed factions in the region and beyond across the world. Any attempt to force Iran into submission will bring about the worst possible conclusion...their spread is worlwide, they are fanatical and to die a Martyr to save their country of Iran is the goal for these extremists.
The normal people of Iran who are not fanatics will pay an immeasurably high price first....the rest of the world, via the cells, will follow.
Iran is like a hornet....leave it alone and it is just irritating and buzzy but won't do much harm......start trying to kill it and all heck will break loose.