Report: Iran bolsters retaliation capability in Persian Gulf
Iran is rapidly gaining new capabilities to strike at
U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf, amassing an arsenal of sophisticated
anti-ship missiles while expanding its fleet of fast-attack boats and
submarines, U.S. and Middle Eastern analysts say.
The new systems, many of them developed with foreign
assistance, are giving Iran’s commanders new confidence that they could quickly
damage or destroy U.S. ships if hostilities erupt, the officials say.
Although U.S. Navy officials are convinced that they
would prevail in a fight, Iran’s advances have fueled concerns about U.S.
vulnerabilities during the opening hours of a conflict in the gulf.
Increasingly accurate short-range missiles — combined
with Iran’s use of “swarm” tactics involving hundreds of heavily armed patrol
boats — could strain the defensive capabilities of even the most modern U.S.
ships, current and former military analysts say.
In recent weeks, as nuclear talks with world powers have
faltered and tensions have risen, Iran has repeated threats to shut down
shipping in the oil-rich gulf region. Its leaders also have warned of massive
retaliation for any attacks on its nuclear facilities, which the United States
believes are civilian covers for an Iranian drive to acquire a nuclear-weapons
capability.
Last week, Iran’s Foreign Ministry declared that the
presence of U.S. warships in the gulf constituted a “real threat” to the
region’s security.
Pentagon officials have responded by sending more ships,
urged on by Congress as well as U.S. allies in the region. This month, the Navy
announced that it would deploy the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis to the
Middle East four months ahead of schedule. The shift will keep two carriers in
the gulf region.
The United States also has announced new military
exercises in the region, including a mine-sweeping drill in the gulf, and has
moved to add new radar stations and land-based missile-defense batteries in
Qatar.
The likelihood that Iran would risk an all-out attack on
a vastly superior U.S. fleet is judged to be small. But Iranian leaders could
decide to launch a limited strike if Israel or the United States bombed the
country’s nuclear facilities. Analysts also cautioned that a conflict could be
sparked by an Iranian attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow
passage through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil passes from the
Persian Gulf into open seas — in retaliation for international economic
sanctions.
In either scenario, Iran’s ability to inflict significant
damage is substantially greater than it was a decade ago. A Pentagon study in
April warned that Iran had made gains in the “lethality and effectiveness” of
its arsenal. The Pentagon declined to comment for this article.
Comments
Post a Comment