# It appears Iran wants to park some ships off our east coast. **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 28, 2011, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-appears-iran-wants-to-park-some-ships-off-our-east-coast/597882 "2011-09-28T14:30:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Darth\_Ayebaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darth_ayebaw/32/9870_2.png) [@Darth\_Ayebaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Ayebaw)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-appears-iran-wants-to-park-some-ships-off-our-east-coast/597882/1 "2011-09-28T14:30:58Z")
> **[Iran planning to send ships near U.S. waters | CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2011/09/27/world/meast/iran-navy/index.html)** > > Iran plans to send ships near the Atlantic coast of the United States, state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported Tuesday, quoting a commander. > **[Islamic Republic of Iran Navy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_navy)** > > The Islamic Republic of Iran Navy or Iranian Navy (IRIN; Persian: نیروی دریایی ارتش جمهوری اسلامی ایران, romanized: Niru-ye Daryâ'i-ye Artesh-e Jomhuri-ye Eslâmi-ye Irân), officially abbreviated NEDAJA (Persian: نداجا), is the naval warfare service branch of Iran's regular military, the Islamic Republic of Iran Army (Artesh). It is one of Iran's two maritime military branches, alongside the Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). > > NEDAJA is charged with forming Iran's first line of... Seems about as credible as North Korea’s weekly threats, but I got some questions on this anyways. 1. Could they actually do it? I mean, are their ships capable of making it out that far without refueling? How many ships could make the voyage? How long could they stay stationed there given the supplies they carry? 2. (Where) Would they make port in the Americas? We’re not at war with them, but then we don’t have a lot of relations either, and I don’t think it’s likely they’ll settle down and stock up in the US. Is Venezuela a decent guess? 3. What would the US response be? Would we stop them in the mid-Atlantic in international waters? Would we shadow them and stick around to make sure they don’t cross the invisible border line? Denounce them, but otherwise ignore them militarily? I’m not even sure when the last time there were ‘hostile’ vessels off our shores. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-appears-iran-wants-to-park-some-ships-off-our-east-coast/597882/2 "2011-09-28T15:07:21Z")
If you Americans get scared, the Canadian Navy’s got your back. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-appears-iran-wants-to-park-some-ships-off-our-east-coast/597882/3 "2011-09-28T15:09:48Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > If you Americans get scared, the Canadian Navy’s got your back. Hey, that’s the **Royal** Canadian Navy. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-appears-iran-wants-to-park-some-ships-off-our-east-coast/597882/4 "2011-09-28T15:12:15Z")
You’re right, of course. Army Reservist apologizes. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-appears-iran-wants-to-park-some-ships-off-our-east-coast/597882/5 "2011-09-28T15:16:40Z")
Aww, that’s cute. Our official response should be to laugh in their face…until they test a nuclear weapon, then it’s go time. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-appears-iran-wants-to-park-some-ships-off-our-east-coast/597882/6 "2011-09-28T15:25:18Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Hey, that’s the **Royal** Canadian Navy. You guys have a navy? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-appears-iran-wants-to-park-some-ships-off-our-east-coast/597882/7 "2011-09-28T15:27:40Z")
This Shia just got real! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-appears-iran-wants-to-park-some-ships-off-our-east-coast/597882/8 "2011-09-28T15:30:23Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > You guys have a navy? > > 🙂 They do - by world standards, a pretty capable one, actually. A few large destroyers, 14 very modern frigates, and a few inactive submarines, along with assorted coastal patrol craft. Not that much compared to the American navy - but then, _no one_ has all that much compared with the American navy. And a modern frigate belonging to a NATO member state is not, as I understand it, the sort of thing that you want to be on the wrong end of. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-appears-iran-wants-to-park-some-ships-off-our-east-coast/597882/9 "2011-09-28T15:33:28Z")
I don’t know enough about the Iranian Navy to know if they can logistically pull it off, it’s not outside the realm of possibility but I imagine the force will be weak in comparison to any American Naval force. I imagine the feelings of the naval brass will be “lol”, essentially. Iran’s Navy is like a spitting kitten compared to the U.S. _Coast Guard_, and less than nothing when compared to the U.S. Navy (which is larger than the next 13 combined, I don’t know if that is by tonnage or number of vessels.) While the navy brass will not feel any grave concern, I do imagine they will be super prepared and we will have ships in the area to prevent any violation of our territorial waters. ---
**Author:** ![AbloyProtec](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9f8e36/32.png) [@AbloyProtec](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbloyProtec)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-appears-iran-wants-to-park-some-ships-off-our-east-coast/597882/10 "2011-09-28T15:37:33Z")
Any idea of how close they plan to be? ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-appears-iran-wants-to-park-some-ships-off-our-east-coast/597882/11 "2011-09-28T15:39:54Z")
> [@](#): > > 1. Could they actually do it? I mean, are their ships capable of making it out that far without refueling? How many ships could make the voyage? How long could they stay stationed there given the supplies they carry? Could they send a warship or a few warships to our coast? Probably. They probably have some sort of fleet oiler or logistics ships that could carry fuel and supplies for the warships (this is a guess, but I know they’ve sent ‘fleets’ through the Suez and IO, so they must have something to support extended operations). I doubt they could stay on station off the US coast for more than a few days though…they would need some sort of resupply base for a longer deployment than that, unless Cuba is going to let them use their ports for that. > [@](#): > > 1. (Where) Would they make port in the Americas? We’re not at war with them, but then we don’t have a lot of relations either, and I don’t think it’s likely they’ll settle down and stock up in the US. Is Venezuela a decent guess? I don’t believe they will be allowed to make port in the US, but Cuba is a possibility…anything to tweak the US’s nose. Venezuela is another possibility I suppose. Really any neutral power that is susceptible to bribery and wants to tweak the US’s nose would do, in a pinch. But you’d need someplace with decent fleet support capabilities, so my guess is Cuba (assuming the Cubans are keen on the idea, which I’m not so sure of). Either that or this is just a propaganda mission (even assuming it actually happens) and they will basically travel to the East Coast somewhere, steam about just outside the international waters limits (with a nice escort of USN ships and probably with air craft buzzing them and annoying the shit out of them) and then pack up and go home, mission accomplished (Ahmadinejad could strut around on the deck of one of his ‘fleet’ frigates in a flight suit stuffed with wool, in memory of Muhammad). > [@](#): > > 1. What would the US response be? Would we stop them in the mid-Atlantic in international waters? Would we shadow them and stick around to make sure they don’t cross the invisible border line? Denounce them, but otherwise ignore them militarily? I’m not even sure when the last time there were ‘hostile’ vessels off our shores Our response will probably be covert laughter and probably the dispatch of some USN ships to shadow the ‘fleet’, keep an eye on them and possibly harass them the way we used to harass the Soviets…just to let them know we care. 😛 I doubt we will try and stop them or seriously interfere with their transit, or really even care all that much. We’ll probably be interested in whether they even CAN make such a trip and what problems or issues they run into. Other than that…meh. -XT ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-appears-iran-wants-to-park-some-ships-off-our-east-coast/597882/12 "2011-09-28T15:42:50Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > They do - by world standards, a pretty capable one, actually. A few large destroyers, 14 very modern frigates, and a few inactive submarines, along with assorted coastal patrol craft. Not that much compared to the American navy - but then, _no one_ has all that much compared with the American navy. And a modern frigate belonging to a NATO member state is not, as I understand it, the sort of thing that you want to be on the wrong end of. I have a ton of respect for the Canadian Navy and it _is_ pretty respectable by world standards. However I will mention that the U.S. Coast Guard by itself has 4 times many active duty personnel than the Canadian Navy (this does not count USCG civilian personnel.) The coast guard has 244 cutters, 204 air craft, and 1500+ smaller vessels. The 244 cutters would definitely not be something to sneeze at, although they aren’t comparable necessarily to the heavily armed Canadian frigates (they lack that level of firepower), they would probably be of concern to the Iranians, who I know make use of some very lightly armed vessels. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-appears-iran-wants-to-park-some-ships-off-our-east-coast/597882/13 "2011-09-28T15:44:43Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > (Ahmadinejad could strut around on the deck of one of his ‘fleet’ frigates in a flight suit stuffed with wool, in memory of Muhammad). Wool? ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-appears-iran-wants-to-park-some-ships-off-our-east-coast/597882/14 "2011-09-28T15:45:44Z")
I heard their plan was to send some hikers to Canada close to the US border… ---
**Author:** ![AbloyProtec](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9f8e36/32.png) [@AbloyProtec](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbloyProtec)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-appears-iran-wants-to-park-some-ships-off-our-east-coast/597882/15 "2011-09-28T15:46:25Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Wool? The wool, the wool, the wool is on fire! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-appears-iran-wants-to-park-some-ships-off-our-east-coast/597882/16 "2011-09-28T15:49:24Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > I heard their plan was to send some hikers to Canada close to the US border… We can always have some “students” take over their ships and hold the sailors hostage. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-appears-iran-wants-to-park-some-ships-off-our-east-coast/597882/17 "2011-09-28T15:50:59Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] Wool? [/QUOTE] Well, he (The Prophet, may peace be upon him) was a shepherd (or sheepherder), and I couldn’t think of anything quickly that Ahmadi could stuff down his flight suit having to do with the goats, camels or horses… -XT ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-appears-iran-wants-to-park-some-ships-off-our-east-coast/597882/18 "2011-09-28T15:55:02Z")
> [@Darth\_Ayebaw](#): > > 1. What would the US response be? Thank them for putting their ships within easy targeting range and offer to take in defectors that should chose to jump ship. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-appears-iran-wants-to-park-some-ships-off-our-east-coast/597882/19 "2011-09-28T15:58:42Z")
> [@Rune](#): > > offer to take in defectors that should chose to jump ship. Good idea. Hang a big sign spelling that out in Farsi, on a ship full of bikini babes… It’ll be like the propaganda value of people jumping the Berlin Wall. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-appears-iran-wants-to-park-some-ships-off-our-east-coast/597882/20 "2011-09-28T15:58:55Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > Well, he (The Prophet, may peace be upon him) was a shepherd (or sheepherder), and I couldn’t think of anything quickly that Ahmadi could stuff down his flight suit having to do with the goats, camels or horses… > > -XT …that ain’t already there. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-appears-iran-wants-to-park-some-ships-off-our-east-coast/597882.md?page=2)