Squeezing Iran

In a previous article I noted that the first sign of an American squeeze on Iran would be building airbases around Iran. Specifically air fields in Adjzerbajan. I was right about the bases. Wrong about the first reported location. The first reported location is Afghanistan.

KABUL (Reuters) - Four military bases the United States is building in Afghanistan (news - web sites) will only be used by the Afghan National Army, an U.S. Army spokesman said on Wednesday, denying that a U.S. base was being constructed close to border with Iran.

Evidently this has been bubbling behind the scenes for a little while.

Talk of U.S. interest in obtaining some foothold in Herat broke surface again last August when U.S. advisors and aircraft played a support role to the Afghan army in quashing fighting between provincial forces and a renegade militia commander.

The fighting had centerd around the sprawling former Soviet airbase at Shindand, close to where a U.S. helicopter crashed after test firing its weapons in the past week.

An air base? Already constructed? By the Soviets? Manned by Americans?

The squeeze is on.