Libya II ? - USS Nimitz aircraft carrier group rerouted to help US strike on Syria, if needed.

Libya II ? - USS Nimitz aircraft carrier group rerouted to help US strike on Syria, if needed.HT: Russia Today.

“It's about leveraging the assets to have them in place should the capabilities of the carrier strike group and the presence be needed,” the official told Reuters, adding that it was not clear when the ships would enter the Red Sea.

The Nimitz carrier group was supporting the US war in Afghanistan and was due to return to its home port in Everett, Washington, after being released from duty by the USS Harry S. Truman strike group.
Considering the volatile situation and a looming decision on a Syria strike, US military officials have decided to send the Nimitz toward the Red Sea, and possibly the Mediterranean, the source said.
Another US official told Reuters that so far there was not a final decision to reposition the carrier group to the Mediterranean, and that the Navy is trying to “reduce the physics of time and space” to be ready for a possible call to arms.
Over the weekend a US amphibious transport ship USS San Antonio was also deployed to the Mediterranean. Although it has “received no specific tasking” it was rerouted to a US naval base on the Greek island of Crete.
The US Navy already has five destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean carrying an estimated load of 200 Tomahawk missiles. The naval presence was boosted over the past week in anticipation of an imminent US attack.
In the coming week, while US lawmakers will be discussing the prospects of a “limited military strike” requested by the commander-in-chief, military officials are expected to use the delay in military action to decide on the location of other US ships in the region.

The US President has already decided a limited military strike is necessary to teach Syria a lesson and prevent possible further use of chemical weapons against the Syrian population and US allies in the region. A formal request seeking authorization from legislators to launch a military campaign was filed on Saturday, and the Senate is expected to vote on the motion no later than the week of September 9.

Hmmmm....... Obama’s War Request To Congress On Syria Is “Blank Check”, Gives Him Power To Commit Whatever Assets He Chooses.

It seems the 'Imperial President' has already decided what Congress will decide?

Iran Ready to Propose ‘Peaceful Solution’ to Syrian Crisis - FM.

Iran Ready to Propose ‘Peaceful Solution’ to Syrian Crisis - FM.(UOI).

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif placed a telephone call to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon late Sunday, announcing Iran’s readiness to find a “peaceful solution” to the crisis in Syria, state broadcaster IRIB reported.

“While rejecting the use of force in resolving the crisis in Syria, (Zarif) asserted that Iran is ready to find a peaceful resolution,” IRIB reported.

Zarif was also quoted as telling Ban that “military intervention in Syria has damaging and widespread consequences, control of which will be very difficult.” (IRIB/AFP, 2 September) The report, however, did not give any details on the Iranian proposal on how to avoid the announced U.S. plans for a military attack on Syria or how to end the civil war in the country.

Related:

Iran's FM holds phone talks on Syria with Pakistani PM advisor

Iranian MP: Iran to continue supporting Syria.

Iranian MP: Iran to continue supporting Syria.(Taz).

Iran is following a supportive policy towards President Bashar Al-Assad, chairman of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Alaeddin Boroujerdi said in an interview on Iranian State IRINN TV. He made the remarks during his visit to Syria.

Syria is the frontline of resistance against Israel, he said, adding that President Bashar Al-Assad and his father ex-president Hafiz Al-Assad have been resisting against Israel.

He went on to note that, "Due to boosting the crisis, the U.S. is playing a new game over Syria. We planned to visit Syria to announce our support, both to Syria and the international community."
It should be recalled that the Iranian parliamentary delegation headed by Boroujerdi met Syrian President on Sunday. It arrived in the country on Saturday as part of efforts by Tehran to support the Syrian government amid threats of a military strike against Damascus by the US and some of its allies.
"As representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran, we once again inform Syrian officials and the international community of our opposition to any attack and war on Syria," Boroujerdi told reporters after a meeting with the Syrian Parliamentary Speaker, Mohammad Jihad al-Laham, in Damascus on Saturday.
Iran is a close ally of the Syrian government and shows its support for the regime of Syrian President Bashar al Assad at any opportunity.
Some Western and regional countries supported intervention to Syria, after another escalation of situation in the country. On August 21, media outlets reported the large scale use of chemical weapons near Damascus by the Syrian Government Troops

Russia sends intelligence ship to Syria coast.

SSV-201 intelligence ship Priazovye

Russia sends intelligence ship to Syria coast.(VOR).

Russia has sent a reconnaissance vessel from its Black Sea fleet to the coast off Syria, a report said Monday, as Moscow anxiously watches Western plans for military action against the Damascus regime, a report said Monday.

The SSV-201 intelligence ship Priazovye on Sunday evening started its voyage "to the appointed region of military service in the eastern Mediterranean," a military source told the Interfax news agency.

"The crew have the mission... of collecting operative information in the region of an escalating conflict," it added.

The source also said that the ship had been prepared for the mission with very short notice.

The SSV Priazovye will not join the Mediterranean tactical force of the Russian Navy, it will instead perform the tasks assigned to it by the General Staff," the source said.

Obama’s War Request To Congress On Syria Is “Blank Check”, Gives Him Power To Commit Whatever Assets He Chooses.

Obama’s War Request To Congress On Syria Is “Blank Check”, Gives Him Power To Commit Whatever Assets He Chooses.HT: InfidelBloggers.

It took less than 24 hours for lawmakers to realize that the draft authorization for the use of military force sent to Congress by President Barack Obama would open the door to a prolonged war with Syria.

That’s not something that Obama or top administration have been publicly pushing for — all indications are that the plan is for targeted action to deter the regime of Bashar al-Assad from further use of chemical weapons.
But, as became clear on Capitol Hill on Sunday, Congress has no appetite for the broader mandate that the White House technically proposed. As #WGDB noted Saturday night, the draft would authorize Obama to use U.S. military assets “as he determines to be necessary and appropriate” to prevent Assad from using or proliferating chemical weapons and other types of weapons of mass destruction.

Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., reportedly said after a Sunday afternoon classified briefing in the Capitol that administration officials had conceded the resolution language would be modified. “I think the biggest question I heard is that the president’s request is open-ended,” Roberts said, according to The Washington Post.

 “That has to be rectified, and they simply said in answer to that that they would work with the Congress and try to come back with a more prescribed resolution. But I’m not too sure that the people who answered that are the people that have that decision to make,” added Roberts, a former Intelligence Committee chairman.
Likewise, Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations Chairman Patrick J. Leahy said that Democratic aides were already working on revisions. Senate Democratic leadership aides did not immediately respond to a request for an update on that work.
“I know it’s going to be amended in the Senate,” the Vermont Democrat said, according to Politico.

“While the President makes the case for limited action, the resolution he proposes is without limits. The proposed resolution would give the President the authority to act with no limit on the duration of our involvement and it would authorize all types of military action, including boots-on-the-ground,” Sherman said. “We cannot give the President a blank check.”Read the full story here.

Iranian FM: "nine months ago Iran warned the U.S. on supply of chemical weapons in Syria."

Iranian FM: "nine months ago Iran warned the U.S. on supply of chemical weapons in Syria."(Taz).

Iran nine months ago, sent official note to the Swiss Embassy (protects U.S. interests in Iran) where warned that makeshift chemical weapons on the basis of poison gas sarin were supplying in Syria, Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif told in an interview to newspaper ASIMAN.

Iranian Foreign Minister also added that it was stated in note that extremist groups maybe will use this weapon.
According to him, during the nine months, it was encouraged the hassle of extremist groups, the results of which we now see.
The parties supporting the extremists do not reach the goal, came together and formed a trap for the United States and the countries of the region for becoming of war, Zarif added.
He said the United States did not respond to an official note of Iran.
Syria that was supported by Iran and Russia cooperated with the UN inspectors to detect the use of chemical weapons in Damascus, Zarif added.
The leadership of the United States has a big problem, because instead of leadership, it follows the advices of some pressure groups and political groups, Iranian Foreign Minister added.

Iran: If Syria Is Attacked, It Will Strike U.S., Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Israel, As Well As E.U. Interests; Israel Will Be Destroyed.

Iran: If Syria Is Attacked, It Will Strike U.S., Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Israel, As Well As E.U. Interests; Israel Will Be Destroyed.HT Memri.

In response to the possibility of a U.S. military strike against Syria following reports that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad used chemical weapons against his own citizens, Iran has voiced a series of threats against Arab countries in the region and also against Israel and the West, in an attempt to prevent attacks on its ally Syria and to ensure that Assad remains in power.[1]
While Assad's promise to retaliate for such an attack was not particularly emphatic, and Hizbullah barely responded at all,[2] most of the Iranian officials' statements on the matter threatened a Syrian response that would set the region ablaze. Only a few Iranian threats specifically referred to retaliation by Iran itself – and even those were issued prior to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's August 28 statements (see below).[3]
It appears that, as on previous occasions, Iran's promises of regional conflagration are empty threats aimed solely at intimidation, and it is not clear that they will actually be carried out.
Endnotes:

[1] The Lebanese daily Al-Safir, which is close to the Syrian regime, claims that Iran considers Damascus the "twin" of Tehran, and it sees a war against Syria as a war against Iran. According to a source close to senior Iranian officials, Tehran has informed Russia and China that it intends to stand by Syria "to its very last breath" and will not relinquish it even if they will. Al-Safir claims that the moment it became known that there could be an attack on Syria, Iranian plans prepared in advance for just such a scenario were placed on Khamenei's desk. Iran's intention is to convey the clear message to the U.S. and the West that any such escapade, regardless of its scope, will end in a quagmire for all those participating in the attack, and that after the attack the world will never be the same. Al-Safir (Lebanon), August 28, 2013.

[2] Hizbullah MP Walid Sakariya assessed that if the Western attack was limited in scope and not aimed at toppling the Assad regime, Hizbullah would not be interested in intervening and widening it into a regional conflict. However, he said, if the U.S. did seek to bring down Assad and to besiege the resistance and deliver a serious blow to Iran and Syria, the Israeli front would be activated. Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon), August 29, 2013. The Lebanese daily Al-Nahar, which is close to the March 14 Forces, reported, citing sources close to decision-makers in Hizbullah, that Hizbullah was continuing its policy of keeping its cards hidden and not revealing how it might respond to an attack on Syria. Al-Nahar (Lebanon), August 29, 2013.

[3] On August 24, 2013, Majlis National Security Committee Chairman Ala Al-Din Boroujerdi said: "Syria's regional allies will not sit idly by in the face of a potential attack [on Syria]." Press TV (Iran), August 24, 2013. The next day, August 25, during a visit to the Strait of Hormuz, IRGC Commander Ali Jafari said: "Our moves depend on the positions and measures of the enemy. So far, we have not been attacked by any state, but if the enemy's measures, either direct or indirect, take the form of threats, we shall regard it our undeniable right to defend ourselves... The role of the Zionist regime in the bloody events in the region is becoming clearer by the day, but the final outcome [of these developments] will surely not benefit this [Zionist] regime..." Fars (Iran), August 25, 2013.

The following are excerpts from some of the Iranian threats.Read the full story here.

Donald Rumsfeld To White House: Justify Syria Attack.

Donald Rumsfeld To White House: Justify Syria Attack.HT: Politico.

Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says the Obama administration has not yet justified an attack on Syria.

“There really hasn’t been any indication from the administration as to what our national interest is with respect to this particular situation,” Rumsfeld told Fox News’s Neil Cavuto on Wednesday.

“If you think of what’s really important in that region, it’s two things,” he added. “It’s Iran’s nuclear program and the relationship between Iran and Syria, the Assad regime, with respect to funding terrorists that go around killing innocent men, women and children including Americans.”

Asked what he thinks China and Russia’s response may be - both countries have said the U.S. must abide by international law, wait for the United Nations chemical probe results, and should not bypass the U.N. Security Council - Rumsfeld replied, “Well, it’s hard to know.”
“I mean there’s no question that each of those two countries, the People’s Republic of China and Russia, have leaders that are fundamentally opposed to our values and our interests,” he said.

Under President Barack Obama, Rumsfeld said the U.S. is in “withdrawal mode, an apology mode,” and that “vacuum we’ve created is being filled by people who don’t have our values or our interest, and that gives China and Russia an opportunity to do things that are fundamentally against what we as a country and the American people would prefer to have happen.”

Rumsfeld also said Secretary of State John Kerry “has been dealt a pretty bad hand” thanks to Obama’s administration and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s choices over the past four years, calling it “a complicated situation.”

'I must ask Congress's permission first', A Face saving way out for pres Obama.

'I must ask Congress's permission first', A Face saving way out for pres Obama.HT: NYT

WASHINGTON — President Obama stunned the world and paused his march to war on Saturday by asking Congress to give him authorization before he launches a limited military strike against the Syrian government in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack. 

In an afternoon appearance in the Rose Garden, Mr. Obama said he had decided that the United States should use force but would wait for a vote from lawmakers, who are not due to return to town until Sept. 9. Mr. Obama said he believed he had the authority to act on his own, but he did not say whether he would if Congress rejects his plan.

“I’m prepared to give that order,” Mr. Obama said. “But having made my decision as commander in chief based on what I am convinced is our national security interest, I’m also mindful that I’m president of the world’s oldest constitutional democracy.”

Going to war with the support of the people’s representatives, he added, “I know the country will be stronger.”

The president’s announcement effectively dared Congress to either stand by him or, as he put it, allow President Bashar al-Assad of Syria to get away with murdering children. By asking lawmakers to weigh in, he is trying to break out of his box of isolation of the last week, in the face of deep skepticism at home and around the world about the strike. His decision indicates he does not want to go forward without Congress and the American public.

But it represents a major political gamble for a president with marginal command of Congress. Officials said he is likely to win support in the Senate, where leading Republicans quickly issued statements welcoming his decision, but the House is more of an open question given its strong current of antiwar sentiment in both parties. 

The decision also means that the period of vacillation before a strike will extend until after Mr. Obama travels to St. Petersburg, Russia, for a summit meeting of the Group of 20 nations, a session that now seems certain to be dominated by the question of what to do about Syria.

President Vladimir V. Putin, the host of the meeting, has not only effectively blocked United Nations action, but on Saturday he suggested the American intelligence blaming Mr. Assad’s government for the chemical attack was based on a ruse.

Opponents of military action hoped the extra time would give them a chance to stop another American intervention in a region that has entangled the country at great cost for a dozen years since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Supporters of a military strike worried that stretching out the decision process would make Mr. Obama look like he blinked and undercut American credibility. 

Hmmm....An 'Imperial President who couldn't care less what Congress wants suddenly needs their approval?The US Pres blinked before Putin.Read the full story here.