Regional Atmosphere is Warlike

The departure of the USS. Truman and 12 warships to the Persian Gulf to join or replace USS. Eisenhower, and the passage of the fourth Security Council sanctions resolution against Iran this month with its focus on the Islamic Passdaran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), internal IRGC bulletins have described the regional atmosphere as warlike and announced military mobilization in the country to confront the situation.

Warning against the emergence of a warlike atmosphere in the region against Iran, an internal IRGC bulletin wrote, “Several weeks after France, Britain and the United States’ joint maneuver, the USS Truman, carrying 90 fighter jets and helicopters, and accompanied by 12 ships belonging to the US Navy, has passed the Suez Canal and entered the Red Sea and waters near Iran.”

While some official and semi-official western news sources have reported that the USS Truman is merely replacing the USS Eisenhower which is currently in the Persian Gulf, the IRGC bulletin ignored this possibility and wrote, “Along with the USS Eisenhower, this will be the second American supercarrier to be stationed off of the Iranian coast. Previously, the United States had stationed the aforementioned supercarrier in the region with 68 fighter jets and helicopters, although according to some reports it can carry up to 90 planes and 6,000 crew at full capacity. News sources have also reported that Washington plans to station up to 56 supercarriers off of the Iranian coast this year with the British and French military forces joining them later.”

The IRGC’s online mouthpiece, Basirat, published the above report and criticized Russia’s lack of support for Iran including its refusal to deliver the S-300 anti-aircraft missiles. The website also slammed Russia’s possible failure to deliver the Bushehr facility’s nuclear fuel because of “Russian officials’ meaningful turn toward U.S. policies and its support of Washington in the Security Council.”

Another bulletin from the IRGC’s administrative division published the following analysis on the Security Council’s latest sanctions resolution against Iran (Resolution 1929): “Resolution #1929 and previous resolutions focus in part on Iranian military forces and their commanders. It appears that the drafters of Resolution #1929 seek to instill fear among military forces and provide a negative portrayal of them for internal and international public opinion.  In effect, pursuant to Washington’s policy of clever diplomacy, by zeroing in on military organs and individuals, they attempt to convince the internal public opinion that the sanctions are imposed in response to their actions, or the Islamic Republic’s actions.”

The internal IRGC bulletin added, “On the other hand, by imposing pressure on the Islamic Republic regime through the passage of a chain of sanctions resolutions, they seek to gradually undermine the regime’s competence, and as a result its legitimacy, in order to transfer internal discontent from one area to another until conditions are set for disintegration from within.”

Last Wednesday, the IRGC’s navy chief announced that the navy’s command center would be moved to the southern port of Bandar Abbas by the end of summer.