The Saudis, not invited to join negotiations either on Syria or Iran, have gone ahead with their own plans for beating Iran to the nuclear draw. The US is piling up military strength in the Persian Gulf against potential Iranian attempts to block the Gulf of Hormuz, or otherwise retaliate for the European oil embargo in force since July 1. As the Revolutionary Guards staged a missile exercise against “enemy air bases,” more than 40,000 US troops were massed on two strategic islands facing Iran. The drums of war came with curtains on nuclear diplomacy. Iran and six world powers met for the last time in Istanbul Tuesday. Oil topped $100 for the first time in three weeks. The European oil embargo taking effect Sunday, July 1 blocks the sale to EU members of one-third of Iran’s daily output of 3.3 million barrels a day. From now on, EU insurance firms withhold cover from governments and firms operating tankers delivering Iranian oil. The embargo was clamped down after diplomatic efforts failed to halt Iran’s nuclear weapon program. Gulf armies led by Saudi Arabia are on alert for reprisals. Two oil pipelines have been activated to bypass the Strait of Hormuz if it is blocked. In a phone call to the Kremlin Sunday, July 1, Syrian President Bashar Assad said he needed just two months to finish off the revolt against his regime. “My new military tactics are working,” he said, as his regime and the Syrian opposition rejected the UN-sponsored peace plan approved in Geneva Saturday.DEBKAfile also reports exclusively that Assad’s "new tactics" consist of retiring the top army command and replacing it with Shabiha thugs armed with an unheard-of level of fire power. Syrian-Turkish border tension continues to climb.
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report; "The USS Ponce")
DEBKAfile Special Report; "Repaired Saudi-Iraq pipeline bypasses Hormuz")
; "Turkish military convoy heading for Syrian border")
Wednesday, 4 July 2012
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report July 4, 2012, 9:48 AM (GMT+02:00)
US military strength beefed up at Hormuz as nuclear talks with Iran fade
July 3, 2012, 4:26 PM (GMT+02:00)
The USS Ponce
EU oil embargo on Iran takes effect. Gulf braced for backlash, Hormuz closure
July 1, 2012, 9:58 AM (GMT+02:00)
Repaired Saudi-Iraq pipeline bypasses Hormuz
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report
July 2, 2012, 10:05 AM (GMT+02:00)
Turkish military convoy heading for Syrian border
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