Iran
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
Posted here because it’s Iran behind it and Iranian ships providing surveillance and targeting data….
The Houthi rebels in Yemen just hijacked the Zim Luanda container ship in the Red Sea, sailing from 🇮🇱 to China
It’s now clear that the Houthis are trying to implement a form of naval blockade against 🇮🇱
It’s the 3rd Israel-linked ship hijacked or attacked in 3 days.
The Houthi rebels in Yemen just hijacked the Zim Luanda container ship in the Red Sea, sailing from 🇮🇱 to China
It’s now clear that the Houthis are trying to implement a form of naval blockade against 🇮🇱
It’s the 3rd Israel-linked ship hijacked or attacked in 3 days.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
Two senior U.S. officials tell me that Houthi forces fired two ballistic missiles at the USS Mason this evening in the Gulf of Aden following the Navy’s arrest of 5 gunmen who tried to hijack the MV Central Park. The U.S. Navy successfully rescued the vessel.
USS Mason, an Arleigh Burke Class destroyer, tracked the ballistic missiles as they approached but both missiles fell short splashing into the Gulf of Aden. This is viewed as significant escalation in Houthi threats to U.S. Navy vessels, according to multiple well placed sources.
USS Mason, an Arleigh Burke Class destroyer, tracked the ballistic missiles as they approached but both missiles fell short splashing into the Gulf of Aden. This is viewed as significant escalation in Houthi threats to U.S. Navy vessels, according to multiple well placed sources.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
On Nov. 26, the USS MASON (DDG 87), with allied ships from our coalition counter-piracy task force (TF 151), and associated aircraft responded to a distress call from the M/V CENTRAL PARK, a commercial vessel, that they were under attack by an unknown entity.
Upon arrival, coalition elements demanded release of the vessel. Subsequently, five armed individuals debarked the ship and attempted to flee via their small boat. The MASON pursued the attackers resulting in their eventual surrender.
The crew of the M/V CENTRAL PARK is currently safe.
At approximately 0141 on Nov. 27 Sanaa time, two ballistic missiles were fired from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen toward the general location of the USS MASON (DDG 87) and M/V CENTRAL PARK. The missiles landed in the Gulf of Aden approximately ten nautical miles from the ships.
The USS MASON (DDG87), which is part of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, was concluding its response to the M/V CENTRAL PARK distress call at the time of the missile launches.
There was no damage or reported injuries from either vessel during this incident.
“Maritime domain security is essential to regional stability,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, USCENTCOM commander. “We will continue to work with allies and partners to ensure the safety and security of international shipping lanes.”
Upon arrival, coalition elements demanded release of the vessel. Subsequently, five armed individuals debarked the ship and attempted to flee via their small boat. The MASON pursued the attackers resulting in their eventual surrender.
The crew of the M/V CENTRAL PARK is currently safe.
At approximately 0141 on Nov. 27 Sanaa time, two ballistic missiles were fired from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen toward the general location of the USS MASON (DDG 87) and M/V CENTRAL PARK. The missiles landed in the Gulf of Aden approximately ten nautical miles from the ships.
The USS MASON (DDG87), which is part of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, was concluding its response to the M/V CENTRAL PARK distress call at the time of the missile launches.
There was no damage or reported injuries from either vessel during this incident.
“Maritime domain security is essential to regional stability,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, USCENTCOM commander. “We will continue to work with allies and partners to ensure the safety and security of international shipping lanes.”
Iran is taking over the Strait of Hormuz islands – the only exit for US carrier Ike (msn.com)
For much of this year and before 7 October, naval gazers had about four areas to look at. First, the ongoing fight in the Black Sea with the Russian blockade weaponizing hunger despite regular Ukrainian successes there. The Russians were also keeping navies busy in the high north and the North Atlantic.Second, the Chinese have been repeatedly upping the ante in the South China Sea and then saying “but you did it” after each event. This has been region-wide but escalating and perhaps reached a head ten days ago when they deliberately turned on their active sonar next to an Australian warship with divers in the water. The Aussie divers were ‘lucky’ to only be injured.
Third, Critical Underwater Infrastructure (CUI) was starting to grab headlines as gas pipes, data cables and power interconnectors in various locations blew up or were severed.
Finally, we had the decades-old maritime presence in the Persian/Arabian Gulf. There were operations way back in the ’80s such as Operations Prime Chance and Earnest Will to protect shipping there – and then Praying Mantis against covert Iranian minelaying, continuing on and off to this day with multiple countries and coalitions all chipping in under the watchful eye of the US Fifth Fleet HQ in Bahrain.
Post 7 October, the enormous US-led build-up of warships in the Eastern Med added a fifth front and whilst it has kept things limited there, for now, a sixth front has appeared in the Red Sea and beyond as Houthis fire missiles and drones towards Israel, hi-jack ships by helicopter in the southern Red Sea and employ Somalis to hijack ships by more traditional methods, albeit failed, in the Gulf of Aden.
Given the centrality of Iran to all of this, it is ironic that the one place that has been relatively quiet since 7 October has been the Gulf itself: even the traditional flashpoint, the Strait of Hormuz, the only way in or out of the Gulf, which has Iran on one side of it.
Rather like an English sports team collapsing in the latter stages of a tournament – inevitable and so strangely reassuring – this is changing. Iran is now doubling down on its ‘ownership’ of three contested islands in the Strait, Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunb.
This is particularly on point right now, as the US Navy aircraft carrier Dwight D Eisenhower and her accompanying escorts – the Ike carrier strike group – have just passed in through the Strait to the Gulf, accompanied by a French warship and joining several British ones already based out of Bahrain.
I won’t delve too deeply into the history of the islands, suffice it to say the UK formally withdrew from there almost exactly fifty-two years ago to the day, leaving things in a state of flux. Iran moved its navy into Abu Musa before we’d finished packing. Only a few days later, an understandably aggrieved UAE – on the other side of the Strait – took their historically founded counterclaim to the United Nations Security Council which “deferred consideration of this matter to a later date”.
The headline in December 1971 could have been “UK leaves mess, UN fails to resolve” and not for the first time.
The dispute has rumbled on in many forms ever since, but recent developments do suggest that now is the perfect time for those who thrive off disruption and chaos to get involved on as many fronts as possible.
Aircraft carrier Dwight D Eisenhower transit the Strait of Hormuz inbound to the Gulf on Sunday 26 Nov. The Ike and her group are part of the US response to the Israel-Hamas war - Information Technician Second Class Ruskin Naval/US Navy© Provided by The TelegraphThe latest twist is for Tehran to offer up free plots of land to families interested in living on the islands. These families would be further incentivised by building loans and even exemptions from military service. Estimates based on the number of plots to be sold, should they be inhabited by Iranian families of average size (3.3), would see the population grow from around 4000 to c1.7 million. That would be a powerful argument that the islands should be Iranian territory.
Not surprisingly, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries oppose what Iran is doing. China and Russia have also chipped in. In December 2022, China’s view on Iran’s general behaviour towards the islands was, “bilateral negotiations in accordance with the rules of international law, and to resolve this issue in accordance with international legitimacy are required”. This resulted in the Chinese ambassador in Tehran receiving ‘a visit’.
More recently, Russia issued a joint statement with the GCC saying that they “support all peaceful efforts, including the initiative of the UAE and its endeavours to reach a peaceful solution to the issue through bilateral negotiations or the International Court of Justice, in accordance with the rules of international law and the United Nations Charter”. This earned the Russian ambassador a ‘summoning’ in Tehran.
Ranking of diplomatic tellings-off aside, you know that when both China and Russia are suggesting an internationally agreed solution over yours, your plan is unlikely to gain much traction.
Why does any of this matter to us in the UK?
Primarily for the same reason the region has mattered for decades now; because of the flow of hydrocarbons from there to us. Hormuz itself is totemic in this regard as it’s the gateway and if it were to be closed, for whatever reason, petrol stations in the UK would start closing a few weeks later. This is why both the US and the UK maintain naval presence there; to attempt to ensure stability in a resource-critical part of the world. You can throw regional alliances, realpolitik, intelligence relations, weapons sales and historical baggage into the mix, but this is reason number one.
And the contested islands sit squarely in the middle of this strategic chokepoint.
Among the major trade chokepoints around the world Hormuz is unique. Malacca, Suez, Panama, Gibraltar, Danish, Bab el-Mandeb and Dover all have alternative routes around them. Of the remaining two, Hormuz and Bosporus, Hormuz is the only one bordered by a non-NATO state that has dedicated billions of dollars to developing military assets to be able to close it.
This US Ohio-class SSGN was last seen headed south through the Suez Canal on Nov 5. She remains somewhere in the region, with 100+ Tomahawk cruise missiles, a mini-submarine and a force of Navy SEAL frogmen aboard - Handout/AFP© Provided by The TelegraphAnd this the Iranians could do. Between their mobile ballistic missile launchers, thousands of fast attack craft and minelayers, they have the capability. It’s worth noting that this remains extremely unlikely – they need trade flowing outbound as much as everyone else needs it inbound. (As an aside, sea currents there ensure many of those mines would end up on their coast.) Holding the islands makes the Iranians militarily stronger: having their sovereignty over them recognised makes them legally stronger.
So what do we do about it? The same as we’ve always done – maintain a diplomatic, naval and military presence there to deter and be ready to react if that doesn’t work. This is exactly why the Ike and her group are in the Gulf right now and not chasing pirates or Houthis further to the west.
It’s the same principle the USS Gerald R Ford group, now joined by Royal Navy destroyer HMS Duncan, is employing off the Israeli coast – deterring and preparing. Nothing says ‘don’t do anything dumb’ more forcefully than 110,000 tons of nuclear-powered diplomacy with an air wing the size of most national air forces embarked. Houthi shenanigans aside, this seems to be working. In fact, since October 7 there has been a near day-to-day demonstration of the utility of carrier-based air power. Those who are frustrated with the speed of advance of our carriers have a point; those who write them off as obsolete do not.
At a more strategic level, only yesterday in London the Cross-party Members of Parliament, Iran experts and representatives of the Iranian democratic opposition coalition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) met to discuss this. One subject of discussion was the UK perhaps listing the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the Iranian theocracy’s shock troops – separate from the regular Iranian armed forces – as a terrorist organisation. Getting both the US and the UK to take a more robust stance in recognising the Iranian Regime’s centrality to malfeasance in the region and, critically, within their own countries, ran through the whole meeting.
Iran is the threat behind Hamas, behind the Houthis and behind Hezbollah. Iran is the primary menace in the Gulf, not only to Western interests but others like the Saudis and the UAE. Iran has threatened to assassinate prominent US politicians, and the “al-Quds” force of the IRGC operates, to a greater or lesser degree undercover, everywhere in the world.
If Western governments fail to take this threat seriously for fear of something – elections, economies, their own shadows – they may fail to maintain the maritime power which is the practical countermeasure to the threat. This has been shown these past weeks by a relatively quiet Israel-Lebanon border, by Houthi missiles knocked out of the sky over the Red Sea, by the fact that most of a Marine Expeditionary Unit is poised to act, that a SEAL Team or Tomahawk missiles could pop up out of the deep blue sea without warning anywhere across the Middle East. It’s been shown on a smaller scale by the presence of British and French and many other nations’ warships and marines also.
It’s been said many times in many ways, but money spent preparing for war is not usually money wasted. And Ukraine notwithstanding, in a lot of cases the war to prepare for will be one fought on and from the sea.
Tom Sharpe is a former Royal Navy officer and warship captain
For much of this year and before 7 October, naval gazers had about four areas to look at. First, the ongoing fight in the Black Sea with the Russian blockade weaponizing hunger despite regular Ukrainian successes there. The Russians were also keeping navies busy in the high north and the North Atlantic.Second, the Chinese have been repeatedly upping the ante in the South China Sea and then saying “but you did it” after each event. This has been region-wide but escalating and perhaps reached a head ten days ago when they deliberately turned on their active sonar next to an Australian warship with divers in the water. The Aussie divers were ‘lucky’ to only be injured.
Third, Critical Underwater Infrastructure (CUI) was starting to grab headlines as gas pipes, data cables and power interconnectors in various locations blew up or were severed.
Finally, we had the decades-old maritime presence in the Persian/Arabian Gulf. There were operations way back in the ’80s such as Operations Prime Chance and Earnest Will to protect shipping there – and then Praying Mantis against covert Iranian minelaying, continuing on and off to this day with multiple countries and coalitions all chipping in under the watchful eye of the US Fifth Fleet HQ in Bahrain.
Post 7 October, the enormous US-led build-up of warships in the Eastern Med added a fifth front and whilst it has kept things limited there, for now, a sixth front has appeared in the Red Sea and beyond as Houthis fire missiles and drones towards Israel, hi-jack ships by helicopter in the southern Red Sea and employ Somalis to hijack ships by more traditional methods, albeit failed, in the Gulf of Aden.
Given the centrality of Iran to all of this, it is ironic that the one place that has been relatively quiet since 7 October has been the Gulf itself: even the traditional flashpoint, the Strait of Hormuz, the only way in or out of the Gulf, which has Iran on one side of it.
Rather like an English sports team collapsing in the latter stages of a tournament – inevitable and so strangely reassuring – this is changing. Iran is now doubling down on its ‘ownership’ of three contested islands in the Strait, Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunb.
This is particularly on point right now, as the US Navy aircraft carrier Dwight D Eisenhower and her accompanying escorts – the Ike carrier strike group – have just passed in through the Strait to the Gulf, accompanied by a French warship and joining several British ones already based out of Bahrain.
I won’t delve too deeply into the history of the islands, suffice it to say the UK formally withdrew from there almost exactly fifty-two years ago to the day, leaving things in a state of flux. Iran moved its navy into Abu Musa before we’d finished packing. Only a few days later, an understandably aggrieved UAE – on the other side of the Strait – took their historically founded counterclaim to the United Nations Security Council which “deferred consideration of this matter to a later date”.
The headline in December 1971 could have been “UK leaves mess, UN fails to resolve” and not for the first time.
The dispute has rumbled on in many forms ever since, but recent developments do suggest that now is the perfect time for those who thrive off disruption and chaos to get involved on as many fronts as possible.
Aircraft carrier Dwight D Eisenhower transit the Strait of Hormuz inbound to the Gulf on Sunday 26 Nov. The Ike and her group are part of the US response to the Israel-Hamas war - Information Technician Second Class Ruskin Naval/US Navy© Provided by The TelegraphThe latest twist is for Tehran to offer up free plots of land to families interested in living on the islands. These families would be further incentivised by building loans and even exemptions from military service. Estimates based on the number of plots to be sold, should they be inhabited by Iranian families of average size (3.3), would see the population grow from around 4000 to c1.7 million. That would be a powerful argument that the islands should be Iranian territory.
Not surprisingly, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries oppose what Iran is doing. China and Russia have also chipped in. In December 2022, China’s view on Iran’s general behaviour towards the islands was, “bilateral negotiations in accordance with the rules of international law, and to resolve this issue in accordance with international legitimacy are required”. This resulted in the Chinese ambassador in Tehran receiving ‘a visit’.
More recently, Russia issued a joint statement with the GCC saying that they “support all peaceful efforts, including the initiative of the UAE and its endeavours to reach a peaceful solution to the issue through bilateral negotiations or the International Court of Justice, in accordance with the rules of international law and the United Nations Charter”. This earned the Russian ambassador a ‘summoning’ in Tehran.
Ranking of diplomatic tellings-off aside, you know that when both China and Russia are suggesting an internationally agreed solution over yours, your plan is unlikely to gain much traction.
Why does any of this matter to us in the UK?
Primarily for the same reason the region has mattered for decades now; because of the flow of hydrocarbons from there to us. Hormuz itself is totemic in this regard as it’s the gateway and if it were to be closed, for whatever reason, petrol stations in the UK would start closing a few weeks later. This is why both the US and the UK maintain naval presence there; to attempt to ensure stability in a resource-critical part of the world. You can throw regional alliances, realpolitik, intelligence relations, weapons sales and historical baggage into the mix, but this is reason number one.
And the contested islands sit squarely in the middle of this strategic chokepoint.
Among the major trade chokepoints around the world Hormuz is unique. Malacca, Suez, Panama, Gibraltar, Danish, Bab el-Mandeb and Dover all have alternative routes around them. Of the remaining two, Hormuz and Bosporus, Hormuz is the only one bordered by a non-NATO state that has dedicated billions of dollars to developing military assets to be able to close it.
This US Ohio-class SSGN was last seen headed south through the Suez Canal on Nov 5. She remains somewhere in the region, with 100+ Tomahawk cruise missiles, a mini-submarine and a force of Navy SEAL frogmen aboard - Handout/AFP© Provided by The TelegraphAnd this the Iranians could do. Between their mobile ballistic missile launchers, thousands of fast attack craft and minelayers, they have the capability. It’s worth noting that this remains extremely unlikely – they need trade flowing outbound as much as everyone else needs it inbound. (As an aside, sea currents there ensure many of those mines would end up on their coast.) Holding the islands makes the Iranians militarily stronger: having their sovereignty over them recognised makes them legally stronger.
So what do we do about it? The same as we’ve always done – maintain a diplomatic, naval and military presence there to deter and be ready to react if that doesn’t work. This is exactly why the Ike and her group are in the Gulf right now and not chasing pirates or Houthis further to the west.
It’s the same principle the USS Gerald R Ford group, now joined by Royal Navy destroyer HMS Duncan, is employing off the Israeli coast – deterring and preparing. Nothing says ‘don’t do anything dumb’ more forcefully than 110,000 tons of nuclear-powered diplomacy with an air wing the size of most national air forces embarked. Houthi shenanigans aside, this seems to be working. In fact, since October 7 there has been a near day-to-day demonstration of the utility of carrier-based air power. Those who are frustrated with the speed of advance of our carriers have a point; those who write them off as obsolete do not.
At a more strategic level, only yesterday in London the Cross-party Members of Parliament, Iran experts and representatives of the Iranian democratic opposition coalition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) met to discuss this. One subject of discussion was the UK perhaps listing the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the Iranian theocracy’s shock troops – separate from the regular Iranian armed forces – as a terrorist organisation. Getting both the US and the UK to take a more robust stance in recognising the Iranian Regime’s centrality to malfeasance in the region and, critically, within their own countries, ran through the whole meeting.
Iran is the threat behind Hamas, behind the Houthis and behind Hezbollah. Iran is the primary menace in the Gulf, not only to Western interests but others like the Saudis and the UAE. Iran has threatened to assassinate prominent US politicians, and the “al-Quds” force of the IRGC operates, to a greater or lesser degree undercover, everywhere in the world.
If Western governments fail to take this threat seriously for fear of something – elections, economies, their own shadows – they may fail to maintain the maritime power which is the practical countermeasure to the threat. This has been shown these past weeks by a relatively quiet Israel-Lebanon border, by Houthi missiles knocked out of the sky over the Red Sea, by the fact that most of a Marine Expeditionary Unit is poised to act, that a SEAL Team or Tomahawk missiles could pop up out of the deep blue sea without warning anywhere across the Middle East. It’s been shown on a smaller scale by the presence of British and French and many other nations’ warships and marines also.
It’s been said many times in many ways, but money spent preparing for war is not usually money wasted. And Ukraine notwithstanding, in a lot of cases the war to prepare for will be one fought on and from the sea.
Tom Sharpe is a former Royal Navy officer and warship captain
Last edited by Senior Pilot; 12th Dec 2023 at 15:28. Reason: Fix quote
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
CENTCOM:
approximately 1100 (Sanaa time), while in the South Red Sea, the Arleigh-Burke Class Guided Missile Destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) shot down an Iranian-produced KAS-04 unmanned aerial vehicle launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
Although its intentions are not known, the UAV was heading toward the warship.
At the time of the shoot down, the USS Carney was escorting the USNS SUPPLY (Oiler) and another U.S. flagged and crewed ship carrying military equipment to the region.
There were no injuries to U.S. personnel and no damage to U.S. vessels.
approximately 1100 (Sanaa time), while in the South Red Sea, the Arleigh-Burke Class Guided Missile Destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) shot down an Iranian-produced KAS-04 unmanned aerial vehicle launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
Although its intentions are not known, the UAV was heading toward the warship.
At the time of the shoot down, the USS Carney was escorting the USNS SUPPLY (Oiler) and another U.S. flagged and crewed ship carrying military equipment to the region.
There were no injuries to U.S. personnel and no damage to U.S. vessels.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
https://www.navylookout.com/hms-diam...e-middle-east/
HMS Diamond will join US warships deployed in the Persian Gulf region as the risk of conflict and the threat to merchant shipping increases. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has said “it’s critical the UK bolsters our presence in the region”.…
The despatch of HMS Diamond is a significant statement of UK support for the US actions to deter Iran. The USN also has very high regard for the air defence capabilities of the Type 45 although it is unclear exactly what role she will play. If she does not enter the Gulf, she could be employed to protect merchant vessels in the Red Sea or the Gulf of Aden. The MoD says she is being deployed to help ensure the freedom of navigation of merchant vessels, around a hundred of which pass through the Strait of Hormuz on a typical day.
The Iranians have invested increasingly in UAVs, USVs, swarms of fast attack craft and mini-submarines. They are currently converting a merchant vessel into a large drone carrier complete with a ski ramp. The multi-faceted threat posed by missiles and non-conventional weapons and platforms in the Persian Gulf has never been more complex. There will be little opportunity for the carrier strike group to relax in such a demanding environment and relatively confined waters. Iran will, however, be forced to think twice about any further attempts to enflame conflict in the Middle East.
RFA Lyme Bay and RFA Argus (officially the Littoral Response Group, South) remain alongside in Limassol, Cyprus should they be needed, to support some kind of special forces or raiding operation, or more likely in a humanitarian aid or evacuation role. Increasingly it looks like they will not be required and it will be interesting to see if they resume their original planned passage through the Suez Canal and onto their forward base in Oman. Given the situation in the Red Sea, they would certainly require an escort and could possibly sail with HMS Diamond.
HMS Duncan continues to serve with Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) in the Mediterranean and recently has been operating with the USS Gerald R Ford. There was speculation that Diamond would relieve her in this role but the Gulf appears to be the priority. HMS Duncan is due home for Christmas having already been away for a total of nine months of this year…..
One area of concern is HMS Diamond’s mechanical reliability. It is no reflection on the ship’s company but she has a track record of breaking down, including on her way to the Gulf in 2017 and during the CSG21 deployment. These issues have never been completely cured and Diamond has yet to undergo the Power Improvement Package…..
HMS Diamond sent to the Gulf in response to rising tension in the Middle East
HMS Diamond will join US warships deployed in the Persian Gulf region as the risk of conflict and the threat to merchant shipping increases. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has said “it’s critical the UK bolsters our presence in the region”.…
The despatch of HMS Diamond is a significant statement of UK support for the US actions to deter Iran. The USN also has very high regard for the air defence capabilities of the Type 45 although it is unclear exactly what role she will play. If she does not enter the Gulf, she could be employed to protect merchant vessels in the Red Sea or the Gulf of Aden. The MoD says she is being deployed to help ensure the freedom of navigation of merchant vessels, around a hundred of which pass through the Strait of Hormuz on a typical day.
The Iranians have invested increasingly in UAVs, USVs, swarms of fast attack craft and mini-submarines. They are currently converting a merchant vessel into a large drone carrier complete with a ski ramp. The multi-faceted threat posed by missiles and non-conventional weapons and platforms in the Persian Gulf has never been more complex. There will be little opportunity for the carrier strike group to relax in such a demanding environment and relatively confined waters. Iran will, however, be forced to think twice about any further attempts to enflame conflict in the Middle East.
RFA Lyme Bay and RFA Argus (officially the Littoral Response Group, South) remain alongside in Limassol, Cyprus should they be needed, to support some kind of special forces or raiding operation, or more likely in a humanitarian aid or evacuation role. Increasingly it looks like they will not be required and it will be interesting to see if they resume their original planned passage through the Suez Canal and onto their forward base in Oman. Given the situation in the Red Sea, they would certainly require an escort and could possibly sail with HMS Diamond.
HMS Duncan continues to serve with Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) in the Mediterranean and recently has been operating with the USS Gerald R Ford. There was speculation that Diamond would relieve her in this role but the Gulf appears to be the priority. HMS Duncan is due home for Christmas having already been away for a total of nine months of this year…..
One area of concern is HMS Diamond’s mechanical reliability. It is no reflection on the ship’s company but she has a track record of breaking down, including on her way to the Gulf in 2017 and during the CSG21 deployment. These issues have never been completely cured and Diamond has yet to undergo the Power Improvement Package…..
Last edited by Senior Pilot; 12th Dec 2023 at 15:31. Reason: Fix quote
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
Ok this is cool. The US Navy's Task Force 59 (part of NAVCENT in the mid east) published a video of a successful seaborne launch and strike on a practice target with a switchblade loitering munition from one of their autonomous T-38 Devil Ray USVs.
"These issues have never been completely cured and Diamond has yet to undergo the Power Improvement Package….."
well as long as she is brought back before it gets hot out there....................
well as long as she is brought back before it gets hot out there....................
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
This is the area HMS Diamond is heading towards….
US CENTCOM:
Today, there were four attacks against three separate commercial vessels operating in international waters in the southern Red Sea. These three vessels are connected to 14 separate nations. The Arleigh-Burke Class destroyer USS CARNEY responded to the distress calls from the ships and provided assistance.
At approximately 9:15 a.m. Sanaa time, the CARNEY detected an anti-ship ballistic missile attack fired from Houthi controlled areas of Yemen toward the M/V UNITY EXPLORER, impacting in the vicinity of the vessel. UNITY EXPLORER is a Bahamas flagged, U.K. owned and operated, bulk cargo ship crewed by sailors from two nations. The CARNEY was conducting a patrol in the Red Sea and detected the attack on the UNITY EXPLORER.
At approximately 12 p.m., and while in international waters, CARNEY engaged and shot down a UAV launched from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen. The drone was headed toward CARNEY although its specific target is not clear. We cannot assess at this time whether the Carney was a target of the UAVs. There was no damage to the U.S. vessel or injuries to personnel.
In a separate attack at approximately 12:35 p.m., UNITY EXPLORER reported they were struck by a missile fired from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen. CARNEY responded to the distress call. While assisting with the damage assessment, CARNEY detected another inbound UAV, destroying the drone with no damage or injuries on the CARNEY or UNITY EXPLORER. UNITY EXPLORER reports minor damage from the missile strike.
At approximately 3:30 p.m. the M/V NUMBER 9 was struck by a missile fired from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen while operating international shipping lanes in the Red Sea. The Panamanian flagged, Bermuda and U.K. owned and operated, bulk carrier reported damage and no casualties.
At approximately 4:30 p.m., the M/V SOPHIE II, sent a distress call stating they were struck by a missile. CARNEY again responded to the distress call and reported no significant damage. While en route to render support, CARNEY shot down a UAV headed in its direction. SOPHIE II is a Panamanian flagged bulk carrier, crewed by sailors from eight countries.
These attacks represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security. They have jeopardized the lives of international crews representing multiple countries around the world. We also have every reason to believe that these attacks, while launched by the Houthis in Yemen, are fully enabled by Iran. The United States will consider all appropriate responses in full coordination with its international allies and partners.
US CENTCOM:
Today, there were four attacks against three separate commercial vessels operating in international waters in the southern Red Sea. These three vessels are connected to 14 separate nations. The Arleigh-Burke Class destroyer USS CARNEY responded to the distress calls from the ships and provided assistance.
At approximately 9:15 a.m. Sanaa time, the CARNEY detected an anti-ship ballistic missile attack fired from Houthi controlled areas of Yemen toward the M/V UNITY EXPLORER, impacting in the vicinity of the vessel. UNITY EXPLORER is a Bahamas flagged, U.K. owned and operated, bulk cargo ship crewed by sailors from two nations. The CARNEY was conducting a patrol in the Red Sea and detected the attack on the UNITY EXPLORER.
At approximately 12 p.m., and while in international waters, CARNEY engaged and shot down a UAV launched from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen. The drone was headed toward CARNEY although its specific target is not clear. We cannot assess at this time whether the Carney was a target of the UAVs. There was no damage to the U.S. vessel or injuries to personnel.
In a separate attack at approximately 12:35 p.m., UNITY EXPLORER reported they were struck by a missile fired from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen. CARNEY responded to the distress call. While assisting with the damage assessment, CARNEY detected another inbound UAV, destroying the drone with no damage or injuries on the CARNEY or UNITY EXPLORER. UNITY EXPLORER reports minor damage from the missile strike.
At approximately 3:30 p.m. the M/V NUMBER 9 was struck by a missile fired from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen while operating international shipping lanes in the Red Sea. The Panamanian flagged, Bermuda and U.K. owned and operated, bulk carrier reported damage and no casualties.
At approximately 4:30 p.m., the M/V SOPHIE II, sent a distress call stating they were struck by a missile. CARNEY again responded to the distress call and reported no significant damage. While en route to render support, CARNEY shot down a UAV headed in its direction. SOPHIE II is a Panamanian flagged bulk carrier, crewed by sailors from eight countries.
These attacks represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security. They have jeopardized the lives of international crews representing multiple countries around the world. We also have every reason to believe that these attacks, while launched by the Houthis in Yemen, are fully enabled by Iran. The United States will consider all appropriate responses in full coordination with its international allies and partners.
Houthis fielding some sophisticated stuff recently.
Had to check the timelines throughout this article to finally work out what "approximately 12 pm" in the third paragraph actually meant.
Had to check the timelines throughout this article to finally work out what "approximately 12 pm" in the third paragraph actually meant.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
Following reports of an attack on a US warship in the Red Sea, former Obama CIA director and defense secretary Leon Panetta was asked last night how the US should respond to the increasing number of attacks by Iran's proxy groups against U.S. forces in the Middle East:
"I would be much more aggressive," Panetta said. "I want to go after those who are firing missiles at our troops and make sure they understand that when they fire a missile--they are going to die."
"I would be much more aggressive," Panetta said. "I want to go after those who are firing missiles at our troops and make sure they understand that when they fire a missile--they are going to die."
Hmmm - does that mean the USAF will have something armed circling above the Yemen ready to fire the instant they detect a launch?
Provided by their dear friends in Teheran, no doubt.
Emotionally, I feel the same way. Not sure what the snags are at the practical level.
There's a stupid question, but the answer is no.
Following reports of an attack on a US warship in the Red Sea, former Obama CIA director and defense secretary Leon Panetta was asked last night how the US should respond to the increasing number of attacks by Iran's proxy groups against U.S. forces in the Middle East:
"I would be much more aggressive," Panetta said. "I want to go after those who are firing missiles at our troops and make sure they understand that when they fire a missile--they are going to die."
"I would be much more aggressive," Panetta said. "I want to go after those who are firing missiles at our troops and make sure they understand that when they fire a missile--they are going to die."
There's a stupid question, but the answer is no.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
U.S. National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan stated on Monday that the United States is currently attempting to build a maritime task force of partner nations to provide potection to commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, as a response to recent attacks by the Houthi.
U.S. National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan stated on Monday that the United States is currently attempting to build a maritime task force of partner nations to provide potection to commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, as a response to recent attacks by the Houthi.
Same stuff, different day.
… provide potection to commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, as a response to recent attacks by the Houthi.
'Forte 13' RQ-4B Global Hawk heading South. Med - Jordan - Saudi -
'Forte 13' RQ-4B Global Hawk heading South. Med - Jordan - Saudi -
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
Last night. Video.
BREAKING:
The Green Zone and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad are under attack.
At least 10 to 12 blasts have been heard
BREAKING:
The Green Zone and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad are under attack.
At least 10 to 12 blasts have been heard
Gee, it's like the 00's all over again.
Back to Iran (who may be complicit in the attacks vis a vis "Shiite Militias"): there as an interesting article I read over the weekend about "
While the points were reasonably well supported, the Houthi active participation in trying to disrupt Israel related trade can hardly be viewed in isolation, given the depth of support and training that they receive from Iran.
Back to Iran (who may be complicit in the attacks vis a vis "Shiite Militias"): there as an interesting article I read over the weekend about "
The 7 Reasons Iran Won’t Fight for Hamas
While I am a little skeptical, the author argues that Iran didn't have any forewarning of the attack (in detail as regards time and place) and were thus on the back foot in terms of how to respond. In summary (article probably behind a paywall) :
First, the Islamic Republic of Iran cannot rally society to engage in a new war as it did during the war with Iraq in the 1980s.
Second, the moderate faction in the Iranian government has been warning against Iran’s direct intervention in the war. Indeed, the war in Gaza has deepened political cleavages in Tehran.
Third, Israel’s apparent failure in deterring Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7 does not alter Tehran’s strategic calculation toward Israel.
Fourth, contrary to the conventional wisdom, neither Hamas nor even Hezbollah is Iran’s proxy; it would be more accurate to think of them as Iran’s nonstate allies. There is no top-down relationship between Tehran and Hamas.
Fifth, Iran’s strategic partners in Moscow and Beijing have not declared their full support for Hamas.
Sixth, there exists a deep belief among influential decision-makers in Iran that the Arab sheikhdoms of the Persian Gulf would welcome a large-scale war between Iran and Israel.
The last and the most significant factor influencing Iran’s apparent reluctance to engage in war is Khamenei’s specific point of view toward regional conflicts. Contrary to the mainstream view in the West, Iran’s supreme leader approaches responses to regional conflicts from a realist standpoint rather than an ideological one. Having served as the president of the Islamic Republic during the devastating war with Iraq, he is acutely aware of the consequences of war, especially with the U.S.
These seven interconnected reasons explain the Islamic Republic’s reluctance to involve itself in the war on behalf of Hamas.
None of this implies that Iran is willing to abandon Hamas, its strategic asset in Gaza. Rather than standing idly by, Tehran is likely to continue applying pressure on both Israel and the U.S.—through Hezbollah and its Shiite proxies in Iraq and Syria—without escalating the conflict to a full-scale regional war.
Second, the moderate faction in the Iranian government has been warning against Iran’s direct intervention in the war. Indeed, the war in Gaza has deepened political cleavages in Tehran.
Third, Israel’s apparent failure in deterring Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7 does not alter Tehran’s strategic calculation toward Israel.
Fourth, contrary to the conventional wisdom, neither Hamas nor even Hezbollah is Iran’s proxy; it would be more accurate to think of them as Iran’s nonstate allies. There is no top-down relationship between Tehran and Hamas.
Fifth, Iran’s strategic partners in Moscow and Beijing have not declared their full support for Hamas.
Sixth, there exists a deep belief among influential decision-makers in Iran that the Arab sheikhdoms of the Persian Gulf would welcome a large-scale war between Iran and Israel.
The last and the most significant factor influencing Iran’s apparent reluctance to engage in war is Khamenei’s specific point of view toward regional conflicts. Contrary to the mainstream view in the West, Iran’s supreme leader approaches responses to regional conflicts from a realist standpoint rather than an ideological one. Having served as the president of the Islamic Republic during the devastating war with Iraq, he is acutely aware of the consequences of war, especially with the U.S.
These seven interconnected reasons explain the Islamic Republic’s reluctance to involve itself in the war on behalf of Hamas.
None of this implies that Iran is willing to abandon Hamas, its strategic asset in Gaza. Rather than standing idly by, Tehran is likely to continue applying pressure on both Israel and the U.S.—through Hezbollah and its Shiite proxies in Iraq and Syria—without escalating the conflict to a full-scale regional war.
Last edited by Lonewolf_50; 8th Dec 2023 at 12:58.
They're Yemenis - they 'll take the money and arms from Iran but oI doubt they'd take day to day direction - hell they have enough trouble organising their own people
The Houthi’s and Hezbollah army’s are almost totally dependent on Iran supplies of arms. Iran may not issue tactical directives but is wholly involved in Strategic ones. Neither of these groups are going to piss off Iran so it would seem that the current actions have the tacit approval of Iran.
Iran is playing a dangerous game and a hit on an American warship with American casualties would be a game changer
Iran is playing a dangerous game and a hit on an American warship with American casualties would be a game changer