Vassnti
SENIOR MEMBER
- Joined
- May 29, 2009
- Messages
- 3,167
- Reaction score
- 1
- Country
- Location
(Reuters)
6 June 2010, 6:35 PMIrans elite Guards are ready to provide a military escort to cargo ships trying to break Israels blockade of Gaza, a representative of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said
Irans Revolutionary Guards naval forces are fully prepared to escort the peace and freedom convoys to Gaza with all their powers and capabilities, Ali Shirazi, Khameneis representative inside the Revolutionary Guards, was quoted as saying by the semi-official Mehr news agency.
Any intervention by the Iranian military would be considered highly provocative by Israel which accuses Iran of supplying weapons to Hamas, the Islamist movement which rules Gaza.
Iran does not recognise the Israeli state and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has often predicted its imminent demise.
Last Monday Israeli troops killed nine activists on board one ship in a convoy trying to deliver aid to Gaza, sparking international outrage, especially in Muslim countries.
Another ship was boarded on Saturday and pro-Palestinian activists have promised more as they challenge the blockade imposed four years ago with the stated aim of stopping arms getting to Hamas.
Shirazi said Iran should encourage more international efforts to break the blockade. We should expose our enemies to a spontaneous global action and not let them achieve their heinous goals, he said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will continue to prevent ships from reaching the shore and creating an Iranian port in Gaza, a reference to Irans support for Hamas.
The Revolutionary Guards, with their own navy, air force and command structure separate from the regular armed forces, are seen as fiercely loyal to the Supreme Leader.
If the Supreme Leader issues an order for this then the Revolutionary Guard naval forces will do their best to secure the ships, Shirazi said. It is Irans duty to defend the innocent people of Gaza.
I wonder if the IRG are actually fanatical enough to try this. They cant honestly belive they will be allowed to set up an "Iranian port" in gaza.
So the only purpose would be to create a confrontation. No matter who wins the naval battle they will have handed Israel the excuse to retaliate, bye bye Natanz and now the Isrealis can call it a retalitory strike for proven Iranian agression.
Now if the supreme leader fails to issue the order he is soft on Isreal, if he does he is allowing the IRG to push Iran into war status, either way one more step along Irans path from theocracy to military dictatorship.