“The U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise, which is heading for the Persian Gulf, will have to answer the questions of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) at the “Sepah station” to obtain permission to enter the sea, the Persian service of the Fars News Agency reported on Saturday. According to the report, the IRGC Naval Force is tasked with monitoring the movement of foreign vessels in the Persian Gulf and all the vessels which want to pass through the Strait of Hormuz must report to the “Sepah station” on the sea. The USS Enterprise set sail on its final voyage on March 12, heading for the Persian Gulf. The U.S. oldest active-duty warship will be on standby in case of conflict with Iran, CNN reported. “Enterprise is as ready and capable as she has ever been throughout her 50 years,” Capt. William C. Hamilton, the ship’s commanding officer, said in a statement. The carrier, which holds a crew of over 4,000, has taken part in several wars. It will be deployed in the Persian Gulf together with other warships, forming a carrier strike group…………” Mehr News (Iranian semi-official)

Some Iranian officials made that same bizarre claim once before, last year, about the USS John Stennis, then wisely withdrew it. I expect this withdrawal will be repeated, given the firepower of the US carrier strike force. Given that Iranian officials often make personal  ad hoc statements about policy. Adding to this, Iranian president Ahmadinejad for the first time yesterday visited one of the islands that Iran controls in the Gulf near the Strait. This is an unusual move considering he never bothered to do so since he came to power. Iran has had forces on the islands since 1971, but its ownership is disputed by the United Arab Emirates whose government was not amused by Ahmadinejad’s visit.
Cheers
mhg


[email protected]