Ben Schreiner: On the Verge of An All Out War? Massive Military Build Up.

The familiar menace of US war drums have resumed at a fevered pitch, as Iran finds itself once again firmly within the Pentagons cross hairs. According to multiple reports, the US is currently in the midst of a massive military build up in the Persian Gulf on a scale not seen in the region since prior to the 2003 US invasion of Iraq. The military surge reportedly includes an influx of air and naval forces, ground troops, and even sea drones. Lest one forgets, the US already has two aircraft carriers and their accompanying striker groups in the region. A growing sense of Iran war fever can also be seen mounting in Washington. For instance, in an effort to foil ongoing nuclear negotiations between Iran and the so-called P5+1 -the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, a bipartisan group of 44 US Senators recently sent a letter to President Obama urging the administration to focus on significantly increasing the pressure on the Iranian government through sanctions, and making clear that a credible military option exists. Such hawkish posturing occurs despite the fact that the US intelligence community finds no evidence that Iran has decided to pursue a nuclear weapon, the ostensible reason behind Western sanctions and threats of attack. Moreover, as an April Pentagon report states, Iran's military doctrine remains one of self defense, committed to slow an invasion, and force a diplomatic solution to hostilities. Compare this to the US military doctrine rife with notions of global power projection, and one sees where the credible threat lies. The nuclear issue, though, is but a pretext used to veil US imperial designs in the region.