IRAN THREATENS – AT 11:08 A.M. ET:  Just yesterday, Grand Admiral Kerry, our secretary of state, was encouraging European firms to do business with Iran.  After all, why not build up an enemy of the West?  Makes sense, doesn't it?  Someday there will be statues of Kerry, with inscriptions about the greatness of his statesmanship.  The statues will be in Tehran.  Today, we hear this from Iran:

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) threatened to "drown" any US warships approaching Iran, a top general said Tuesday, according to state-controlled media.

“We have informed Americans that their presence in the Persian Gulf is an absolute evil,” Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi stated to state media. “Americans are aware that Iran would destroy their warships if they take a wrong measure in the region.”

He further threatened that the US would "lose control of everything" by drawing others into Middle-East affairs.

"There has never been normal conditions in the Persian Gulf and Americans can feel the presence of IRGC navy forces at any spot,” he added. “Iran’s great power has forced US to consider creation of deterrent capabilities.”

Fadavi also boasted that the West remains unaware of Iran's alleged naval capabilities, including surface-to-air missiles.

If we are unaware of Iran's naval capabilities, then maybe we're also unaware of parts of its nuclear program.

The threats surface just days after top White House adviser Ben Rhodes revealed the US deliberately misled the American public about the 2015 Iran deal.

While the public was led to believe talks began after the election of "moderate" Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, talks with Islamists in the country began far earlier, he said.

In November of 2013, it was revealed that a preliminary deal between Iran and the West was made possible due to secret talks that the United States and Iran held for more than half a year and were authorized by US President Barack Obama himself. Those discussions were kept hidden even from America's closest friends, including its five negotiating partners and from Israel.

COMMENT:  Yes, we know about Ben Rhodes, whose brother is the president of CBS News.  And we know about White House deception about an issue involving millions of lives, the Iran nuclear program.

I'd like to see Congressional hearings on the status of our naval forces near Iran.  I think it's right to worry that our ships, including supercarriers, may be more vulnerable than we think.  We might also worry that Iran does indeed have weapons we don't know about.

But, hey, let's trade with Iran.  Build up their economy.  The send Kerry and his boss to get the mental help they need.

May 11, 2016