Recent US actions could signal Iran conflict soon

6 Iranians were detain in Irbil, Iraq. The US raided a facility that Iran claimed was being used for diplomatic purposes. The US alleges that detained Iranians were funneling weapons to the enemy.

Parts of President Bush's latest speech has been described as an obvious threat to Iran.

John Pike of GlobalSecurity.org notes that U.S. actions could signal a conflict in the near future. He says, "It's really unclear what the President was saying. It's a little more clear what the United States is actually doing. [President Bush] was basically calling on Iran not to interfere with Iraq, not to further interfere with Iraq. But, also, look at what he said the United States is going to do. As previously reported, several weeks ago, the aircraft carrier, John Stenos, is being dispatched to the Persian Gulf. That gives the United States two aircraft carriers in the Gulf. Round the clock operations. He also, surprisingly, announced that the United States was going to be deploying Patriot anti-missile interceptors to the region. It's difficult to imagine whose missiles those would be shooting down other than Iran. It's looks to me like the United States is, at least, raising its capabilities in preparation for possible military confrontation with Iran."

Pike provides a time frame in which the U.S. or Israel might first strike Iran. He explains, "I think the month of February is certainly a time of heightened probability. It's very difficult to understand exactly what the thinking is at the White House and in the Israeli government but for sometime now we've been saying that 2007 is probably the time, if there's going to be military action, it's probably going to come this year. Possible as soon as next month. Probably no later that August of this year.