Which means that a 5th one (rounded up) - Stennis - is coming in 1-2 months. Good luck Iran.

Three US Aircraft Carriers Now In The Middle East With Fourth En Route

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 07/18/2012 19:43 -0400

• Afghanistan
• Ben Bernanke
• Iran
• Iraq
• Middle East

A week ago we reported news that Middle East veteran aircraft carrier CVN-74 Stennis was ending its brief sabbatical prematurely, and far earlier than previously expected, and heading right back into the field, er sea, of action. As Kitsapsun reported, "Bremerton-based aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis is returning to the Middle East much sooner than expected. The Navy hasn't officially announced the new deployment plan for the Stennis, said spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Zach Harrell." The ship came home to Naval Base Kitsap on March 2 after seven months of launching planes into Iraq and Afghanistan. Generally, it wouldn't go back to the Fifth Fleet area of responsibility for four to five years, after a deployment to the Western Pacific and a maintenance period. But with Iran making threats, crew members learned Saturday they'll be leaving again in late August for eight months." We concluded that shortly, Stennis will be the third carrier accompanying Lincoln and Enterprise. As it turns out, a third carrier was already en route, and as of today, CVN 69 Eisenhower is either at the opening of the Straits of Hormuz, or just past it. That makes 3 aircraft carriers in the middle east, 2 in the Gulf and the Arabian Sea and one just off the coast of Syria. And technically, the LHD 7 Iwo Jima Big Deck Amphibious ship, which is also just off the coast of Iran region, makes three and a half. Which means that a 5th one (rounded up) - Stennis - is coming in 1-2 months. Good luck Iran.

Source: Stratfor
So to recap: Four US aircraft carriers. One big deck amphibious warfare ship. One Iran. WTI well below its 2012 highs even with Bernanke having engaged in yet another flow-boosting Qualitative Easing operation. And One presidential election in 4 months

The Asian-American Arms Race In Charts

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 07/18/2012 18:43 -0400

• China

"Asia is a study in contrasts. It is home to economic freedom and political liberty; it is also home to political instability and tyranny. Some of Asia’s borders are unsettled and volatile. And military budgets and capabilities are expanding, sometimes faster than economic growth. The rise of China as a great power presents both sides of this equation. It is being watched carefully by all the countries of the region. It is the U.S. that is recognized as the catalyst in ensuring a prosperous peace over conflict. America is a Pacific power. That much is a matter of geography and history. But the facts – and America’s principles and interests – demand more than resignation to geography. They call for continued American leadership, commitment, and the predominant comprehensive power that has enabled Asia’s very welcomed, opportunity-laden rise."
Thus prefaces the Heritage Foundation its Asian 'Book of Charts', which summarizes most of the key economic, financial, trade, geopolitical, most importantly militaristic tensions both in Asia and, by dint of being the global marginal economic force, the world itself. And while we will present the complete deck shortly, of particular interest we find the summary in 7 easy charts how Asia is slowly but surely catching up on that accepted by conventional wisdom GloboCop - the United States.
We present it in its entirety below.

Netanyahu Accuses Iran Of Being Behind Bulgarian Bus Explosion, Promises "Strong Response"

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 07/18/2012 13:20 -0400

• Bulgaria
• Crude
• Iran
• Israel

The number of casualties in the Bulgarian bus explosion (reported earlier) is not even known yet, but Israel already knows just who is behind it:

• ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER SAYS SIGNS THAT IRAN BEHIND BURGAS BOMBING -RTRS
• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "Iran is responsible for the terror attack in Bulgaria, we will have a strong response against Iranian terror." - Haaretz

Elsewhere:

• CARNEY SAYS OBAMA BRIEFED ON BULGARIA BLAST THAT HIT ISRAELIS
• CARNEY SAYS US NOT IN POSITION TO SAY WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BUS ATTACK

And here we were wondering why crude spiked above $90 for the first time in months earlier today.

Third US Aircraft Carrier Returning Unexpectedly To Mideast Ahead Of Schedule

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 07/10/2012 13:00 -0400

• Afghanistan
• Central Banks
• Crude
• Iran
• Iraq
• Israel
• Middle East
• Turkey

The last time the US navy sent three aircraft carriers into the Arabian Sea/Persian Gulf was just a few short weeks before WTI broke above $110, and aggressive military tensions, coupled with concerns of an imminent invasion of Iran by Israel and/or 'others', were running high. Then summer arrived, as did the need to lower the price of gas and crude ahead of a veritable cornucopia of central banks easing into June and July, not to mention the need to keep gas as low as possible into the July 4th holiday. Now that the peak summer months are behind us this is all changing, and 4 months ahead of the presidential election, the need to have the "Wag the Dog" put option to round up the troops, not to mention votes, has arrived, as has the need to return to an outright aggressive military stance where Iran is concerned. Which is why we were not very surprised to learn that that Middle East veteran aircraft carrier, the CVN-74 Stennis, is going right back into Mordor, a few short months after it came back from its long stint in the Fifth Fleet, and will shortly complete the trio of aircraft carriers stationed within miles of Iran.
From Kitsapsun:

"Bremerton-based aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis is returning to the Middle East much sooner than expected. The Navy hasn't officially announced the new deployment plan for the Stennis, said spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Zach Harrell." The ship came home to Naval Base Kitsap on March 2 after seven months of launching planes into Iraq and Afghanistan. Generally, it wouldn't go back to the Fifth Fleet area of responsibility for four to five years, after a deployment to the Western Pacific and a maintenance period. But with Iran making threats, crew members learned Saturday they'll be leaving again in late August for eight months."

Oh, it is Iran making threats? We get it. Just like Syria is making threats to Turkey after the country "aggressively" took down a Turkish jet which was amicably flying over Syrian territory.
At least with the Stennis back, the US public can sleep soundly because Iran will not feel at all threatened with not two but three carriers, not to mention however many supporting ships:

Two U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups — USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Enterprise — are now in the Middle East. The Navy has doubled the number of minesweepers in the region, to eight, and moved a converted amphibious transport and docking ship, the USS Ponce, into the Persian Gulf to serve as a floating staging base for military operations or humanitarian assistance. Its first job will be as a hub for mine-clearing, according to Pentagon officials.

At least unlike the the Enterprise, which is currently on its final lifetime assignment for some reason in the Persian Gulf, the Stennis at least is veteran when it comes to all matters Middle Eastern.

The Stennis is familiar with Iranian threats. During its last deployment, which ran from August 2011 to March 2012, it exited the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz. The chief of Iran's military was quoted as telling "the American warship that passed through the Strait of Hormuz and went to the Gulf of Oman not to return to the Persian Gulf." The Stennis just went about its business, launching planes to help troops in Afghanistan, though family and friends back home were worried by the news coverage.

U.S. officials said the ships were in international waters, and they won't tolerate any effort by Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-sixth of the world's oil is transported.

During its last deployment, the Stennis air wing conducted 13,389 sorties in support of troops in both wars, and rescued Iranian cargo ship sailors from pirates.

Finally, for those curious where US naval interest lie, here is the latest naval update map courtesy of Stratfor:

Average:

US Military Re-Surging In Persian Gulf As Turkey Scrambles Jets For Third Day And Iran Fires Medium-Range Missiles

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 07/03/2012 09:34 -0400

• China
• Crude
• Crude Oil
• European Union
• Iran
• Israel
• Reuters
• Turkey

If one only looks at equity or FX futures this morning, one would completely ignore the real action in the last few hours which is all about crude, where Brent just passed back above $100 and WTI is up over $3 on the session. The reason is that the market's ultra short term attention span has noticed the following piece from the NYT, which says nothing new, and which Zero Hedge readers have known for a while, yet as a regurgitation of an old theme, provides at least a "new" short-term catalyst: "The United States has quietly moved significant military reinforcements into the Persian Gulf to deter the Iranian military from any possible attempt to shut the Strait of Hormuz and to increase the number of fighter jets capable of striking deep into Iran if the standoff over its nuclear program escalates. The deployments are part of a long-planned effort to bolster the American military presence in the gulf region, in part to reassure Israel that in dealing with Iran, as one senior administration official put it last week, “When the president says there are other options on the table beyond negotiations, he means it.” Supposedly this is news, even though a month ago we observed the latest very much expected accumulation in the 5th Fleet in "And Meanwhile, In The Arabian Sea..."
Of course, the escalation posturing continues on both sides, as Russia and China are no longer shy about their particular interests in the region: "Iran said on Tuesday it had successfully tested medium-range missiles capable of hitting Israel in response to threats of military action against the country, Iranian media reported. The Islamic Republic announced the "Great Prophet 7" missile exercise on Sunday after a European Union embargo against Iranian crude oil purchases took full effect after another fruitless round of big powers talks with Tehran. Iran's official English-language Press TV said the Shahab 3 missile with a range of 1,300 km - able to reach Israel - were tested along with the shorter-range Shahab 1 and 2."
And just to make sure if and when all hell breaks, NATO is involved too, we read that Turkey scrambled jets for the third day in a row just to keep the provocations going. From Reuters:

Turkey's armed forces command said on Tuesday it had scrambled F-16 fighter jets for a third consecutive day on Monday after Syrian transport helicopters were spotted flying near to the Turkey-Syrian border, but there was no violation of Turkish airspace.

It said in a statement a total of six jets, four from a base in Incirlik in the south and two from Batman in eastern Turkey were scrambled in response to Syrian helicopters flying south of the Turkish province of Hatay, within 1.7-4.5 nautical miles of the Turkish border.

Actually, in retrospect perhaps one should ask why it isn't WTI that is crossing back over $100 following this barrage of belligerent news.
Finally, here is how the US naval distribution around the world looked like as of last week, courtesy of Stratfor:

Average:

4

that Iranian lawmakers have drafted a bill proposing a blockade of the Straits of Hormuz for oil tankers heading to sanctions supporters, i.e., embargo countries. Naturally, if implemented, this would mean an almost inevitable military retaliation on behalf of the "western world."

Crude Spikes On News Iran Lawmakers Propose Straits Of Hormuz Blockade For Sanctions Countries

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 07/02/2012 10:14 -0400

• Crude
• Iran
• Mohammad
• national security
• Reuters

What goes down, must come up. In this case crude, which is soaring on news out of FARS that Iranian lawmakers have drafted a bill proposing a blockade of the Straits of Hormuz for oil tankers heading to sanctions supporters, i.e., embargo countries. Naturally, if implemented, this would mean an almost inevitable military retaliation on behalf of the "western world." Then again, this is not the first time Iran has postured with a blockade.
More:

A member of the Iranian parliament (Majlis) said that Iran will close the Hormuz Strait if the economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic take effect.

Arsalan Fathipour in an interview with Alalam News Network said that the recent oil price fall will not last for long.

"We take the control of the Hormuz Strait. If we are supposed to be sanctioned, we will not allow a drop of oil to pass through the strait," he said, Fars News Agency reported.

"In such a situation, oil price will surge and we will see that those who have imposed sanctions will not be able to be accountable for their people," he noted.

He noted that Iran can find new customers for oil.

Iran has stored up imports and hard currency for a "battle" against EU sanctions, officials said on Sunday, the day that the measures aimed at pressuring the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program take effect.

Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi said the country has stockpiled the population's daily needs to reduce the impact of the embargo hitting the oil and banking sectors.

"Today, we are facing the heaviest of sanctions and we ask people to help officials in this battle," Rahimi was quoted by the IRIB News.

He said the "dastardly sanctions" might cause "occasional confusion" in the market, but that the Iranian nation would not be stopped.

Central bank governor Mahmoud Bahmani also told the Mehr News Agency that Iran has "plans" to deal with the embargo and enough hard currency to meet its import needs.

And from Reuters:

Iran's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee has drafted a bill calling for Iran to try to stop oil tankers from shipping crude through the Strait of Hormuz to countries that support sanctions against it, a committee member said on Monday.

"There is a bill prepared in the National Security and Foreign Policy committee of Parliament that stresses the blocking of oil tanker traffic carrying oil to countries that have sanctioned Iran," Iranian MP Ibrahim Agha-Mohammadi was quoted by Iran's parliamentary news agency as saying.

"This bill has been developed as an answer to the European Union's oil sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran."

Agha-Mohammadi said that 100 of Tehran's 290 members of parliament had signed the bill as of Sunday.

If indeed willing to follow through, it surely mean Iran has at least implicit whisper support of Russian and Chinese support when the situation inevitably escalates.

Turkey Claims Syria Fired On Second Turkish Jet, Says "Act Won't Go Unpunished", Has Invoked NATO Articles 4 And 5

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/25/2012 13:17 -0400

• Reuters
• Turkey

At this point even those who have never heard of the Gulf of Tonkin know where this is headed:

• SYRIAN ACT 'WON'T GO UNPUNISHED,' TURKEY'S ARINC SAYS
• SYRIAN ACT 'HOSTILE,' 'COLD-BLOODED,' ARINC SAYS
• SYRIA SHOT DOWN TURKISH JET WITHOUT WARNING, NULAND SAYS
• TURKEY INVOKED ARTICLES 4 & 5 FOR NATO MEETING, ARINC SAYS
• TURKEY TO PROCEED AGAINST SYRIA USING LEGAL RIGHTS, ARINC SAYS
• TURKISH JET SHOT DOWN IN INTERNATIONAL AIRSPACE, ARINC SAYS

And yet:

• TURKISH JET 'MISTAKENLY' ENTERED SYRIAN AIRSPACE, ARINC SAYS
• TURKISH JET WAS IN SYRIAN AIRSPACE ONLY 5 MINUTES, ARINC SAYS

Just the tip, eh?
And finally this, which makes it all too clear what Hillary Clinton's endgame here is:

• Turkish deputy PM says Syria has also fired on a Turkish search-and-rescue plane -AP

And from Reuters:

Turkey said on Monday that Syrian forces had fired at a second Turkish plane which was searching for an F-4 reconnaissance jet shot down by Syria last week, but the second plane was not brought down.

Deputy prime minister Bulent Arinc told a news conference that Turkey would protect itself, within the framework of international law, against what it called Syria's "hostile action" of downing its warplane last week.

He said at the end of a seven-hour cabinet meeting on the incident that Syria's downing of the reconnaissance jet would not go unpunished.

Was that jet over Syrian airspace for "only 5 minutes" too?