Persian Gulf

The commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard said the government might shut down vital oil lanes through the Persian Gulf if the country were attacked by the United States or Israel, according to a newspaper report Saturday. Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari warned that if there were any confrontation over Iran's nuclear program, Tehran would try to damage Western economies by targeting oil.

The Pentagon quietly shifted combat troops and warships to the Middle East after the top American commander in the region warned that he needed additional forces to deal with Iran and other potential threats, U.S. officials said. Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis, who heads U.S. Central Command, won White House approval for the deployments late last year after talks with the government in Baghdad broke down over keeping U.S. troops in Iraq, but the extent of the Pentagon moves is only now becoming clear.

About 80,000 cheering spectators lined downtown streets Saturday as rows of young U.S. Marines paraded by, sparking emotional scenes during the West Coast's largest homecoming celebration since the Persian Gulf War ended. The parade saluted troops who fought against Iraq and also was a belated gesture to the graying veterans of Vietnam who long ago came home to silence and scorn. "I was emotional, I was marching, and wow, everybody's cheering me on," said Gulf veteran Sgt.

He was a 21-year-old American, an Army private stationed in Italy. She was an 18-year-old local girl who spoke little English. They met at a club in 1994. He asked her to dance. She said no. "He didn't give me a choice," Monia Wilke said recently, recalling their meeting. "He grabbed my hand and we danced. " Two years later, Monia and James Wilke were married. Last month, Monia became a widow after 15 years of marriage. Chief Warrant Officer James B. Wilke died Oct. 10 in the Persian Gulf city of Doha, Qatar.

A judge dismissed a first-degree murder charge Monday against the wife of a Persian Gulf War veteran who was shot to death less than 24 hours after returning to his family from his tour of duty in the Saudi desert. District Judge Vesta Svenson freed Toni Cato Riggs, accused in the March 18 death of Army Spec. Anthony Riggs. Her brother confessed to the killing, saying it was part of a plot to reap insurance benefits.

In an open letter to President Bush, Ron Kovic--the highly decorated Vietnam War veteran turned disabled anti-war hero--called Wednesday for an immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops sent overseas to counter Iraqi aggressors. Kovic, whose autobiography was the basis for the movie "Born on the Fourth of July," was met by several counterdemonstrators who burned an Iraqi flag, picketed the rally and called the former Marine sergeant a traitor to his country.

If the United States would permit the sale of Alaskan oil to Japan, it would permit disengagement of the U.S. Navy from the Persian Gulf, while simultaneously eliminating our negative trade balance. JAMES SULLIVAN Monterey Park

The job that Ahmed Amin thought came with a lifetime warranty is gone. Like millions of Egyptians over the decades, Amin left his native land to work in the Persian Gulf. In 2005, he was hired as a construction engineer in Dubai, the boisterous and glittering financial hub of the United Arab Emirates. But when the global financial crisis hit hard this year, skyscrapers stood unfinished and Amin was fired. "The last four months have changed the face of my whole life. I had a job that I was more than content with.

The United States wants to defend the ships of other nations in the Persian Gulf, but we can't even defend our own. ERNEST SALOMON DONNA SALOMON Santa Barbara

Why don't we reflag President Reagan's ship, the "Pollyanna," and send him and his captains of industry on a fact-finding tour through the Persian Gulf? MARY WESTMAN Mojave

The world has grown accustomed to Iranian bluster. But even by the standards of the Islamic Republic, Adm. Habibollah Sayari's call last week to deploy the Iranian navy near the U.S. coast is stunning. The Pentagon knows, of course, that Iranian war vessels won't come near America's shores any time soon. As White House spokesman Jay Carney said, "We don't take these statements seriously, given that they do not reflect at all Iran's naval capabilities. " The Iranian admiral may bark, but he doesn't have much of a bite.

Yemeni security forces and antigovernment protesters clashed violently again Thursday, as Persian Gulf and U.S. officials pressed for a deal that would allow longtime President Ali Abdullah Saleh to leave office with immunity. Government supporters fired gunshots at protesters, resulting in at least two deaths in the tribal town of Bayda and at least one in the commercial city of Taizz. Scores more protesters were wounded as they attempted to blockade government buildings and enforce a general strike.

Despite its eagerness to show support for protesters across the Middle East, the Obama administration has lined up squarely with the royal family of Bahrain as tens of thousands march in the streets demanding reform in the strategic kingdom that is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. While Bahraini demonstrators continue to denounce the monarchy's reform offers as a sham, U.S. officials are praising the king of the Persian Gulf island nation and have taken a lead role in pushing for negotiations aimed at satisfying Bahrain's marginalized Shiite Muslim majority.

The crown prince of Bahrain called off Formula One's season-opening race Monday, handing another victory to protesters aiming to break the ruling dynasty's stranglehold on power in the Persian Gulf kingdom. Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa owns the rights to the grand prix and serves as commander of the armed forces in an island country where at least eight protesters have been killed in a week of unrest. Angry protesters, who see the Bahrain GP as particularly meaningful to him, wanted the March 13 race dropped.

It's not easy promoting democracy and defending monarchies at the same time. But that's the awkward position the Obama administration finds itself in these days in the Arab world, where many of the countries we consider our best friends ? Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco and Bahrain, to name a few ? are ruled by families that seized power in the tribal past and hold on to it by virtue of heredity. The optimists' argument has been that these could be "modernizing monarchies. " With luck, the royals could turn anachronism into a virtue, maintaining stability through their traditional roots, gaining legitimacy through good government and gently nudging their societies ever so gradually toward some local form of parliamentary democracy.

Three more Middle Eastern governments came under assault from thousands of street demonstrators, a sign of widening reverberations from the pro-democracy movement that upended repressive governments in Egypt and Tunisia. Street clashes in Iran, Bahrain and Yemen were met by riot police Monday, as authorities in the conservative nations sought to squelch demands for greater political freedom, better jobs and an end to corruption. Though the demonstrations were small by comparison, the cries in the streets echoed the spirit of the recent revolts that toppled authoritarian rulers.

This is called leadership? Read my lips, George. You might have dumped the wrong general. BILL GEIGER Pasadena

Twenty years ago this week, despite fears of "another Vietnam," the House and Senate voted to authorize the use of force against Iraqi troops occupying Kuwait. After days of impassioned debate, the House supported President George H.W. Bush's policy by a comfortable margin. The Senate's 52-47 vote was the closest margin for war by a chamber of Congress in U.S. history. The anniversary of the Persian Gulf War, a watershed event in modern American history, has gone almost entirely unnoticed.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Sunday that there is growing evidence that Iran has suffered a setback in its suspected nuclear weapons program, but insisted that world powers must continuing tightening their economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic. Clinton, arriving here for a four-day visit to the Persian Gulf, said Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program will remain a threat to nations in the Middle East and elsewhere even if setbacks prevent it from acquiring bomb-making ability for several years.