Friday, January 13, 2012

U.S. Calls Iran's Bluff In Strait Of Hormuz

I covered U.S.-Iranian tensions in a recent blog post.  It is obvious that the U.S. has the strategic upper hand and is taking pains to ensure Iran's leadership understands the situation.  Stated concerns over a "rogue Iranian naval officer" doing something unpredictable are probably a red herring to cover the U.S. naval posture.

The U.S. is also taking pains to shape the information battlespace.  Stories about using dolphins to hunt underwater mines show off a capability Iran lacks.  Feel-good stories about saving Iranian seaman hijacked by pirates send a strong message that the Iranian navy can't even safeguard its own commercial traffic.  Analysts enamored with Iran's potential use of Sunburn or other anti-ship missiles ignore the U.S. Navy's Rolling Airframe Missile.  The SeaRAM system is notable for its absence from recent media coverage.  The silence speaks volumes.  Iran should hear the message.