Klaus wrote:Sorry for this 101 question, just needed to get this one out.
What are the pitfalls (for Oman) when it comes to a shooting match between GCC and Iran in this area? The maritime boundary of 12 nautical miles would still apply but there is a high chance of blue-on-blue and friendly fire exchange between Omani-GCC and Iranian-Omani gunboats and aircraft.
Iran and Oman JOINTLY control the straits and jointly police it. It is unlikely that Oman and Iran will have any standoff simply because they are technically allies (good relations withTehran - the strongest in the GCC). But Oman's security interests are now permanently tied to the GCC (KSA). Although there is a small possibility that India has signed an agreement with Oman to police the straits - hence we are seeing surveillance flights etc.
To date, Sultan has said Oman will not host any attacks from its side (or foreign powers) against Iran.
You have to understand that the US has secret (some well known) warstores in several of these nations and the nation that stores the warstores are allowed to use them. They will just launch missile after missile if need be.
Apparently Qatar has refused to align with the GCC moves based on stuff I am hearing unlike Turkey which shared a similar relationship with Iran. So after refusing to sell gas to their brothers, Qatar may not be getting involved. Interesting times eh.
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BTW, Extremists are breeded as a 3rd column against any threat - see now KSA is mobilizing or it could be that TSP is activitating its 3rd column. Whats the % of population of shia's in Pak? How serious can it get for them?
Pakistan: A new proxy battle ground for Saudi Arabia, Iran
By Syed Saleem Shahzad
With a broad Sunni Muslim bloc of countries lining up against an emerging Pro-Iran Shi’ite crescent in the Middle East, Sunni-majority and nuclear-armed Pakistan has become a proxy battleground for both Iran and the Saudi Arabia.
In response to the wall chalking and banners against the Saudi Arabia’s monarchy by the different Shiite organizations, the Pakistani madressas belonging to the Deobandi and the Salafi school of thought have also activated their cadre in support of the Saudi Kingdom. Last week one of the largest Pakistani Islamic Seminary Jamia Binoria Al-Alamia situated in the Pakistani southern port city of Karachi published an advertisment in the newspapers (see the scanned copy) in which it has announced a meeting of all clerics and the prayer leaders of the Karachi mosques to prepare a strategy “In defense of the servent of the two holy places” an official title used for the King Abdullah.
Earlier, Asia Times Online wrote that Pakistan’s Fauji Foundation, an armed forces entity, organized the recruitment of over 1,000 ex-army personnel for service in Bahrain’s National Guard. The small Persian Gulf state, which is headquarters to the United States 5th Fleet, is suppressing protests with the help of Saudi invasion forces. Bahrain’s ruling elite is Sunni, although about 70% of the population is Shi’ite. The advertisement for Pakistanis to join Bahrain’s National Guard was published about three weeks ago in a mass-circulation Urdu-language newspaper. Since then, the process of recruitment has continued unabated. According to investigations by Asia Times Online, the recruits have been promised 100,000 Pakistani rupees (US$1,174) a month, beside other perks including free medical and accommodation. People with names that have a traditional Shi’ite ring – such as Syed, Abbas, Ali and Hussain – are being overlooked. Iranian media have broadcast stories predicting a strong Pakistani role in the Gulf region; this resulted in Iranian-sponsored agitators in Bahrain killing several Pakistani workers for “collaborating with the Sunni rulers of Bahrain”.
This is all preparation now. Like I said tensions are now moving to stage 3 of 5. Next moves will be serious war exercises, war moves, war planning, mobilization. Iran's time is up. Only one way out, head to vienna and negotiate an end to this. This is just deterrence I think and Pak is just getting ready to enact the GCC - Pak Security agreement.
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Nuclear Power Plant to Resume Work Early May: Iran
Tehran | Apr 09, 2011
Iran said today that its first nuclear power plant will resume work early May, a day after the facility's Russian contractor acknowledged reloading the fuel in the plant.
"We hope that the Bushehr power plant reaches critical phase between May 5 and 10," Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, who previously headed the Islamic republic's atomic body, was quoted as saying by Fars news agency.
He said the fuel supplied by Moscow was "removed from the reactor's core, was washed... And as of yesterday it was reloaded".
Engineers had began removing the fuel in late February due to an apparent technical fault.
Russia's Atomstroyexport agency which oversaw the Bushehr plant's construction said in a statement on Friday that the refuelling operation began after the plant had been re-checked and its various pieces "washed through".
It was not immediately clear from the statement when the Bushehr plant would be commissioned.
The plant's connection to the electric grid of Iran was initially scheduled for the end of 2010, but was then postponed to April 9 due to technical problems.
Russia last month blamed the latest delay on internal wear-and-tear at the plant, whose construction had initially started in the 1970s with the help of Germany's Siemens company.
Russia also blamed Iran for forcing its engineers to work with outdated parts in the plant.
- and quite a few high end cars were there. 
