PrintJune 7, 2010
Iran offers military escort for next Gaza flotilla
Already committed to Israel's destruction, Iran is leaping at the chance to help break the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza, and thereby ship weapons to Hamas, equally committed to Israel's destruction, under the guise of humanitarian aid. Ian Black of the Guardian reports:
Hojjatoleslam Ali Shirazi, an aide to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, pledged Tehran would send Revolutionary Guard units to escort Gaza aid convoys. Photograph: ReutersIran has warned that it could send Revolutionary Guard naval units to escort humanitarian aid convoys seeking to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza - a move that would certainly be challenged by Israel.Any such Iranian involvement, raised today by an aide to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would constitute a serious escalation of already high tensions with Israel, which accuses Tehran of seeking to build a nuclear weapon and of backing Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls Gaza."Iran's Revolutionary Guard naval forces are prepared to escort the peace and freedom convoys that carry humanitarian assistance for the defenceless and oppressed people of Gaza with all their strength," pledged Hojjatoleslam Ali Shirazi, Khamenei's personal representative to the guards corps.
Obviously an armed confrontation at sea could escalate into all-out war, since Israel will actively resist this effort off its shores. Iran reportedly has the material for two nuclear weapons, while Israel is believed to have a more substantial armory of thermonuclear devices. This does not seem like the proper time, from Iran's point of view, for the final confrontation. Nevertheless, with fanatics in control of the government there, the potential for war is great.
