Recently reported military moves on both sides have the smell of an escalation towards war between the U.S. and Iran, with Israel also involved. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh responded this morning to press reports of an Israeli submarine spotted in the Suez Canal, last week, heading towards the Persian Gulf. “Everybody knows what the Persian Gulf means to Iran, and what policy Iran pursues about its national interests and security,” he said during his Dec. 28 press conference. “They are aware of the risks of crossing Iran’s red lines,” he stressed.
The Washington Post reported on Dec. 23 that the Israeli submarine was spotted at about the same time that the USS Georgia, an Ohio-class submarine converted to carry 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles in place of the Trident nuclear missiles it once was armed with, crossed the Strait of Hormuz on the surface and in broad daylight. The above-water, fully visible Israeli deployment into the Suez Canal and then the Red Sea was a rare move that was reportedly carried out with the acquiescence of Egyptian authorities and was seen as a clear warning to Iran that Israel was preparing for battle as hostilities continue to rise, the Post reported. Not known, of course, is whether the Israeli submarine is carrying nuclear-tipped cruise missiles.
