US fears nightmarish conflict with Iran in Persian Gulf: Experts

The US and Middle East analysts have described Iran's new naval capabilities to strike American warships in the Persian Gulf as a “nightmare” scenario for the US navy.


“Some [US] Navy ships could find themselves in a 360-degree threat environment, simultaneously in the cross hairs of adversaries on land, in the air, at sea and even underwater,” leading US daily The Washington Post reported Friday, quoting “a Middle Eastern intelligence official” that helps coordinate Persian Gulf strategy with his American counterparts.


“This is a scenario that is giving people nightmares,” the report added, quoting the unnamed official on the strategy for reacting to possible Iranian strikes on US warships in case a clash erupts in the Persian Gulf. The official, says the Post, spoke on condition of anonymity.

Pointing to a Pentagon decision to send more ships to the Persian Gulf in response to concerns expressed by Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, describing the presence of US warships in the area as a “real threat” to regional security, The Post cites its sources to argue that Iran's ability to inflict “significant damage” on American naval forces is “substantially greater” than it was a decade ago. [link to www.presstv.com]