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 Russian admiral predicts impending US strike against Iran

MOSCOW, Jan 9 (KUNA) -- Former Russian Black Sea Fleet Commander Admiral Edward Baltin said Tuesday that the presence of so many nuclear submarines in the Arab Gulf waters pointed to likely plans for a US attack against Iran.

Baltine, who was quoted by Interfax news agency, said the presence of US submarines in Gulf waters meant that Washington was contemplating a strike against Iran.

"The presence of the submarines indicates that Washington has not abandoned plans to launch a sudden attack against Iran," the admiral said.

He blamed Monday's collision between a US submarine and a Japanese sea liner near the Strait of Hormuz on the fact that US submarines needed to sail relatively higher than their usual depths to get clearer vision enabling them to zero in on likely targets.

The admiral recalled that, in previous conflicts, US submarines had "cleaned up" the road to pave the way for an air strike through destroying enemy air defense installations.