Pentagon encircles Iran: Victory would take 3 weeks
Published: 02 May, 2012, 15:49
Translation by Autumnson Blog
尼米茲級航空母艦美國亞伯拉罕林肯號（CVN72）過境通過阿拉伯海（法新社照片/美國海軍/大眾傳播專家海員學徒卡羅利納答A馬丁內斯）
As the US beefs up its military presence in the Persian Gulf region, Pentagon strategists estimate that they would need less than a month to defeat Iranian forces should a military conflict take place.
由於美國加料其在波斯灣地區的軍事存在，五角大樓的戰略家們估計，如果軍事衝突發生，他們將需要少於一個月來擊敗伊朗部隊。
US Central Command (CENTCOM) believes it can destroy or significantly degrade Iran's conventional armed forces in about three weeks using air and sea strikes, a defense source told The Washington Post.
美國中央司令部（CENTCOM）相信，使用空中和海上襲擊，它能在約三週左右摧毀或重大地使伊朗的常規武裝力量丟臉，一位國防消息人士告訴“華盛頓郵報”。
“We plan for any eventuality we can and provide options to the president,” Army Lt. Col. T.G. Taylor, a spokesman at CENTCOM told the newspaper. “We take our guidance from the secretary of defense and from our civilian bosses in [Washington] DC. So any kind of guidance they give us, that’s what we go off of [sic].”
“我們計劃我們可以提供給總統選項的任何最終結果，”一位中央司令部的發言人陸軍中校TG泰勒告訴記者。 “我們從國防部長和從我們在[華盛頓]首都的平民老闆取得指引。所以，他們給予我們的任何指引，那就是我們[原文]出行的東西。“
The American military has been building up its presence in the region amid rising tension in the area.
美國軍方一直在該地區建立它的存在，正值該地區的上升緊張局勢。
The US Navy currently has two aircraft carriers deployed near Iran and is upgrading mine-detection and removal capabilities.
美國海軍目前有兩架航母部署在伊朗附近，和升級地雷探測和清除能力。
The US Air Force recently dispatched a number of F-22 Raptor strike fighters to a base in the United Arab Emirates. The move caused backlash from Tehran, which said Wednesday it threatened regional stability.
美國空軍最近派遣F-22猛禽攻擊戰鬥機在阿拉伯聯合酋長國的基地。舉動引起從德黑蘭的反彈，她週三說威脅地區的穩定性。
Deploying a “floating base” in the Persian Gulf – a converted transport ship that would serve as a semi-stationary base of operations for the US military – is also on the table. USS Ponce is expected to host mine-sweeping helicopters, speed boats and probably commando teams.
The Pentagon has also intensified training of elite troops of its allies in the region. The members of the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Gulf Cooperation Council commando team, who serve as instructors, may be ordered to go into the field as well, should such a need arise.
The measures are taken as contingency for possible attack by Iran on US troops or blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, the vital oil transit route, the US says.
CENTCOM says there are about 125,000 US troops in close proximity to Iran. The majority of them – 90,000 – are deployed in or around Afghanistan. Some 20,000 soldiers are ashore elsewhere in the Near East region; and a variable 15,000 to 20,000 serve on naval vessels.
石油戰線
Oil battlefront
The military threat is just part of the mounting pressure on Tehran. Washington says it would use force only as a measure of last resort and is instead focusing on economic pressure.
On Tuesday, US President Barack Obama signed an order giving the Treasury Department more power to impose financial sanctions against those trading with Iran.
"Treasury now has the capability to publicly identify foreign individuals and entities that have engaged in these evasive and deceptive activities, and generally bar access to the US financial and commercial systems," the department said in a statement.
The US and the EU have issued a ban on buying Iran-produced crude in a bid to cripple the country’s export-dependent economy. Part of this effort involves sanctions against companies and institutions engaged in the oil trade with Iran financially. They are banks transferring payment for the crude or firms insuring tankers transporting Iranian oil.
The Iranian oil industry is not suffering from sanctions alone. The country’s Oil Ministry reported last week that it had finally managed to contain a cyber attack on the industry’s facilities.
“The software attack has been fully contained and controlled with the help of experts three days after it was hit,” Iran’s deputy oil minister for engineering affairs, Hamdollah Mohammadnejad, told the state-run Mehr news agency.
In 2010 a malicious computer worm called Stuxnet damaged computer software at Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities. Some computer security experts said the malware was the work of a highly-professional hacker team, which was probably provided with know-how by US or Israeli governments.
Western countries and Israel suspect Iran of trying to build a nuclear bomb and are pressuring it to stop enrichment of uranium. Tehran insists it is pursuing a civilian nuclear power program only, which it is entitled to do as a sovereign state.
The row has escalated last year after the publication of a controversial report by UN’s nuclear watchdog, which Iran’s opponents used to justify issuing more sanctions.
http://rt.com/news/us-military-presence-iran-419/
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