8/28/2013 - Unconfirmed rumors: "Egypt wants to close the Suez Canal to U.S. ships bound for Syria

A number of sources are saying this. I can't seem to trace it back to anything that can actually be confirmed. Help would be appreciated.

Egypt closed the Suez Canal to U.S. ships bound for Syria
www.ciudadccs.org.ve...

08/28/13 ., Defense Minister and head of the Egyptian Army, General Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, said Wednesday that his country will close the Suez Canal to American and British destroyers sailing towards Syria.

Sisi closes the Suez Canal against American destroyers headed for Syria
www.alnaharegypt.com...

Google Translation: The first thing Abdel Fattah al-Sisi Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, not to enter any US military chartered a tanker to the Suez Canal to hit Syria, stressing Egypt's commitment to joint defence agreement between Egypt and Syria.
Noting that Egypt wouldn't be a passage to attack any Arab country, adding Egypt will not repeat the mistakes of the war on Iraq.

"No warship has the right to pass through the Suez Canal to attack Syria" (Egyptian Minister of Defence)
french.irib.ir... -ministre-%C3%A9gyptien-de-la-d%C3%A9fense
Wednesday, August 28, 2013 5:53

Google translation: IRIB-"No American war ship or British or else is allowed to pass through the Suez Canal ship," ordered the Egyptian Minister of Defense.
According Farsnews, citing Reuters, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi insisted that no authorization is given to warships that would hear attack Syria. The decision was taken as part of the Egyptian government to respect the joint defense agreement signed between Egypt and Syria, announced Reuters, making it difficult for the United States and Great Britain an attack against Syria, according to the same agency.

Mod Note: Changed title accordingly. Title was initially: "8/28/2013 - Unconfirmed: "Egypt closed the Suez Canal to U.S. ships bound for Syria"

Concerning your third link, "FarsNews citing Reuters": I checked both Reuters and the English version of FarsNews, and neither has anything on it. It must be so new that the sources don't even know they've written it yet. Kidding.

Anyway. I wouldn't be terribly surprised to find out that it's true; it just isn't true yet....

Digging deeper I found this:

Tamarod wants Syria-bound ships blocked from Suez
Wed, 28/08/2013 - 16:09
www.egyptindependent.com...

Al-Masry Al-Youm
Egypt's Tamarod movement has called on Egyptian authorities to close the Suez Canal, preventing military destroyers that could be used in an impending strike on Syria.

The campaign’s website quoted Tamarod spokesperson Hassan Shahin as saying that Egypt should take a firm stance against the anticipated U.S.military strike against Syria.

"We should shut the Suez Canal before destroyers, machinery or oil vessels pass to strike Syria," Shahin also posted on Facebook. "Supporting the Arab Syrian military is a national duty.”

“We’ll support the Arab Syrian army. No place for traitors. Arab people should revolt after schemes by the Free [Syrian] Army and its supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and extremists to strike the whole Arab world were disclosed,” he added.

And this:

Egyptian political parties reject military intervention in Syria
Ahram Online, Wednesday 28 Aug 2013
english.ahram.org.eg...

Rebel Campaign, Strong Egypt Party and Free Egyptians have denounced preparations for an international military intervention in Syrian territory; Rebel spokesperson says Egypt must not allow use of Suez Canal in any attack.

So we may just be seeing the dissemination of rhetoric as rumor. I'll keep looking into it.

reply to post by this_is_who_we_are


Hmmm what will happen to gas prices since the Suez Canal is shut down? Will it skyrocket to 8 dollars per gallon

reply to post by starwarsisreal


I can neither confirm nor deny that the Suez Canal is shut down. Still collating.

reply to post by starwarsisreal


In addition, Forbes reports the following:

What Are The Real Risks Facing The Suez Canal?
www.forbes.com...
8/28/2013 @ 11:10AM

Still, it’s unclear how much of an impact a partial or full stoppage in Suez traffic would have. To be sure, recent violence and worry about Egypt’s stability and regional unrest have driven up global prices. On August 27th, The Wall Street Journal reported that those concerns and the threat of an attack on Syria had driven up oil futures to a six month high.

Think your on to something, im getting multiple hits
interesting times
en.wikipedia.org...

I find this highly unlikely.

Our lying scumbag leaders have Egypt in their pocket.

I'd like to see some more support for Syria, but I just don't see this happening.

reply to post by curiouscanadian777


Mayber we did but the Egyptian army got rid of our mouth piece. The government is firmly under control of the egyptians again. This wouldn't be very suprising. I would like to see the remaining middle east countries actually take a stand for once. Maybe even deal with thier internal problems themselves.

what does it matter..The USA will just give the TR-B3 it's first outing and it's game over...

reply to post by Megatronus


I would like for this to be true, though things would get very ugly.

However, wasn't the military our mouthpiece, so to speak, before Morsi was?

Nope, I don't buy it. Further excuse to jack fuel prices IMO, and get people riled up.

As of now the whole Suez canal thing is, well... apparently "It's Just Talk"

I've asked the mods to either change the thread title or 404 it. Their discretion. All that's going on is that certain political factions in Egypt are calling for the canal to be closed to U.S. military and others inbound to Syria.

reply to post by this_is_who_we_are

've asked the mods to either change the thread title or 404 it. Their discretion. All that's going on is that certain political factions in Egypt are calling for the canal to be closed to U.S. military and others inbound to Syria.

Leave it open. You have a jump on a developing story.
No ones going to lynch you for that OP.

Unless it's for that previous post. Holy gawd !

All that's going on is that certain political factions in Egypt are calling for the canal to be closed to U.S. military and others inbound to Syria.

'All' that's going on? That's a HUGE 'all'.

Please, leave this thread open. Though of course I hope it's not based in fact I'm afraid after Kerry's speech only moments ago - it may well become fact if it wasn't going to before.

Peace

Originally posted by this_is_who_we_are
I've asked the mods to either change the thread title or 404 it. Their discretion. All that's going on is that certain political factions in Egypt are calling for the canal to be closed to U.S. military and others inbound to Syria.

It sure would be justified under the current egomaniac views of the US Dept of State

As the west coast of Syria is on the Mediterranean sea, and the US has at least one carrier force in the Med., why would the US have to send ships through the canal?
As for oil imports into the US, bulk carriers are so big now its just as cheap to go round the cape!

reply to post by Soloprotocol


So now it's a Tactical Reconnaissance Bomber? That's impressive.

If you mean TR-3B, then if it exists, according to that designation, it's mission is similar to the U-2, and it can't do anything but take pictures.

reply to post by Zaphod58


I take it all British Warships and Typhoon Fighters would have now left the Med since we are no longer intervening ? or do they stay on their docked at one of the overseas bases for example Cyprus ?

Originally posted by pikestaff
As the west coast of Syria is on the Mediterranean sea, and the US has at least one carrier force in the Med., why would the US have to send ships through the canal?
As for oil imports into the US, bulk carriers are so big now its just as cheap to go round the cape!

There is NO US carrier force in the Med. Where did you get that idea?

The Nimitz and the Truman are both in the 5th Fleet AOR, i.e.: The Gulf, along with the Kearsarge, and LHD (Helicopter carrier). There is also no indication that these forces will be moved. The Nimitz is further away from the Red Sea (and hence the Suez) than it was last week. The Kearsarge is the only force that could run up the Suez quickly (as of today).

The US moved a fifth destroyer, USS Stout, off the coast of Syria, which just means a few more cruise missiles.