Iranian boats, U.S. Navy warships in standoff

BEIJING, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The United States said Monday that five Iranian boats had harassed and threatened three U.S. Navy warships in international waters in the Strait of Hormuz in an incident Tehran has played down as "something normal."

On Monday, the Pentagon confirmed the event, which was first reported by CNN, and Washington immediately warned Iran to refrain from taking "provocative actions that could lead to a dangerous incident in the future."

But Iran responded by calling the incident "something normal" and said the incident has been resolved.

According the CNN report, three U.S. warships -- cruiser USS Port Royal, destroyer USS Hopper and frigate USS Ingraham -- were sailing into the Persian Gulf through the Hormuz Strait, a main shipping route for Gulf oil, at about 05:00 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) Sunday when five Iranian boats approached the U.S. vessels fleetly.

The report quoted the U.S. officials as saying that the Iranian ships in one case came within about 180 meters of a U.S. ship and dropped white boxes into the water in front of them, forcing them to shun the Iranian boats.
Iranian boats, U.S. Navy warships in standoff _English_Xinhua

Piss on the big dogs leg enough and he'll eventually bite. STUPID act by the Iranians........

Have a good one!:s4:

true that
if they had been thinking they would have realised that it is a really bad
idea to threaten another boat...that is bigger than you. especially if you
are in international waters.
they start like anywhere from 14 miles to more than a hundred miles in some
places. that would be a REALLY long swim, no?

america hopes they would attack so we can bomb them with no questions asked. what if they were really in iranian waters in their territory? remember we are in their territory. remember gulf of tonkin? we need to pull our military out of their land and maybe they wont attack us

havent you heard bush "if we arnt over there, they will come here" lol
idk i thinkt hat he is partially right if all of them "terrorists" are
killing us in their own back yard they would be stupid to lose
that advantage and come over here.
now i do think that we, the people, are not getting the complete or even the
real story here but that is ok. i have come to
expect that.
peace.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by texas grass

america hopes they would attack so we can bomb them with no questions asked. what if they were really in iranian waters in their territory? remember we are in their territory. remember gulf of tonkin? we need to pull our military out of their land and maybe they wont attack us

---

I'm with you, bud. Google "Operation Northwoods."

holy shit man that is some scarry stuff. but it does not change the fact that we are never gonna find out the truth...unless someone rats out the dod. wouldnt that be funny.

i mean if it was US that did it why would we not do something that
would really hike up the tention, like sink the boat

and another question how come they told the US warships
that they would "sink in a couple minutes if they couldnt
back it up. that does make them, the iranians, look kinda
weak. not that i am saying they should have killed our ship
but wtf why all these threats?

all of these nations are like the kids around here. all talk and no walk

peace

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by texas grass

america hopes they would attack so we can bomb them with no questions asked. what if they were really in iranian waters in their territory? remember we are in their territory. remember gulf of tonkin? we need to pull our military out of their land and maybe they wont attack us

---

They made an aggressive act; we had full opportunity to blow them out of the water if we desired to take that route.

In Iranian waters? Where was that in ANY news article? The Iranians would have had a MAJOR bird if that were the case!

Armed boats approach our people in international waters.....drop objects in front of them that "could" have been some type of explosive and people point the finger at the U.S.? Beyond hilarious!!!

Have a good one!:s4:

They should have opened fire. According to the news i saw last night, the Iranians threatened to bomb them, and THEN dropped the boxes. At that point the US was well within it's rights to open fire and eradicate the threat. If those moron Iranians do it again, i hope whoever they try it with DOES open fire and execute them.

Like P4B said, they can only get away with it so many times before we just "get rid" of them permanently.

anomaly,

You have just received a notice........NOT in here.

Have a good one!:jointsmile:

Iran scares me...There's a lot of oil there, and the bush administration will use ANY reason to get into there...

If it happened the way it was described in the article, then it was probably a probing action in which they come close enough to test our response and then back off. It's a common naval practice --- we used to do it to the Russians during the cold war and vice versa. From a different article I read, the US commanders were in the process of giving the orders to fire, but then the boats backed away.

One thing about "international waters," the Straits of Hormuz are only 12 miles wide, so the channel of international waters is extremely narrow. It is possible to make a mistake by one side or another. With hostile navies in such a small place, this kind of thing should be expected.

The other possibility is that the event did not take place exactly like it was described. I think Bush really is looking for a pretext to attack Iran. So it wouldnt be surpirising to me if the US ships "probed" Iranian waters or otherwise provoked them. When leaders on both sides are a bit crazy, it's hard to say what might have really happened.

"When governments fear the people there is liberty. When the people fear the government there is tyranny." -Thomas Jefferson

nice quote Markass

"The report quoted the U.S. officials as saying that the Iranian ships in one case came within about 180 meters of a U.S. ship and dropped white boxes into the water in front of them, forcing them to shun the Iranian boats."

We shoulda dropped white boxes in front of them too.

What's really going on? with everything...the big picture scheme of things

Was Ron Paul's answer on this incident correct at the SC Fox debate? Its sad that people would jump at any opportunity to attack Iran.

Heckler behind U.S.-Iran incident?
Sailors say person often heard in region might have inflamed events

The Associated Press
Jan. 14, 2008

CAIRO, Egypt - A threatening radio message at the end of a video showing Iranian patrol boats swarming near U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf may have come from a prankster rather than from the Iranian vessels, the Navy Times newspaper has reported.

A video and audio of the Jan. 6 incident in the Strait of Hormuz featured a man in accented English saying "I am coming to you. ... You will explode after ... minutes."

Cmdr. Lydia Robertson, spokeswoman for the Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, said the Navy was still trying to determine the source of the transmission but believed it was related to the Iranian actions.

"The Iranian boats were coming close to the ships, making aggressive maneuvers and objects were being dropped into the water," she told The Associated Press.

However, the Navy Times, a weekly newspaper published by the Gannett company, quoted several veteran sailors as speculating the transmission could have come from a heckler widely known among sailors in the region by the ethnically insulting term "the Filipino Monkey."

The newspaper, which serves the Navy community, said U.S. sailors in the Persian Gulf have heard the prankster â?? possibly more than one person â?? transmitting "insults and jabbering vile epithets" on unencrypted frequencies.

"Navy women â?? a helicopter pilot hailing a tanker, for example â?? who are overheard on the radio are said to suffer particularly degrading treatment," the newspaper said Sunday. "Several Navy ship drivers interviewed by Navy Times raised the possibility that the heckler, or an imitator, was indeed featured in that video."

U.S. Navy officials at Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain could not immediately be reached for comment. However, Navy officials have said they were unsure where the transmission came from.

The threat, however, ratcheted up tensions in the incident, which began when Iranian patrol boats swarmed around three U.S. Navy vessels near Iranian waters in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has denied that its boats threatened the U.S. vessels and accused Washington of fabricating video and audio it released. Iran's government has released its own video, which appeared to be shot from a small boat bobbing at least yards from the American warships.

The Navy Times quoted Rick Hoffman, a retired captain, as saying a renegade talker repeatedly harassed ships in the Gulf in the late 1980s.

"For 25 years there's been this mythical guy out there who, hour after hour, shouts obscenities and threats," he said. "He could be tied up pierside somewhere or he could be on the bridge of a merchant ship," Hoffman said.

""The Iranian boats were coming close to the ships, making aggressive maneuvers and objects were being dropped into the water," she told The Associated Press."

Still leaves this as fact.

Also, as I recall from that debate he accused the rest of the panel for WANTING to go to war with Iran when NONE of their answers indicated that. When the moderator told him that he acted kind of feeble and stated that he couldn't hear.

Have a good one!:s4:

We should lob the biggest nastiest piece of destruction we have over there and turn it into a glass bowl. :rambohead:

If I read or hear one more dumb ass "Bush this waa waa" I am going to puke. Sweet Feathery Jesus people!! What the hell are you going to possibly be able to talk about come this time next year when there is no Bush? I almost want some limp wristed bed wetting liberal to win for the next 2 terms just so I don't have to listen to all the bullshit conspiracy theories. O NO, lookout!!! Bush is doing your Mom!! They are watching you!!! Big Oil!!!! Skull and Bones!!!! The Illuminatti!!! Conspiracy this!!! Blah Blah!!! O yeah, forgot to invoke class warfare so here you go, CORPORATIONS AHHHHHHHHH!!!! They are all going to get you.
Tonight.
After they give your dad a dirty sanchez!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 8182KSKUSH

We should lob the biggest nastiest piece of destruction we have over there and turn it into a glass bowl. :rambohead:

If I read or hear one more dumb ass "Bush this waa waa" I am going to puke. Sweet Feathery Jesus people!! What the hell are you going to possibly be able to talk about come this time next year when there is no Bush? I almost want some limp wristed bed wetting liberal to win for the next 2 terms just so I don't have to listen to all the bullshit conspiracy theories. O NO, lookout!!! Bush is doing your Mom!! They are watching you!!! Big Oil!!!! Skull and Bones!!!! The Illuminatti!!! Conspiracy this!!! Blah Blah!!! O yeah, forgot to invoke class warfare so here you go, CORPORATIONS AHHHHHHHHH!!!! They are all going to get you.
Tonight.
After they give your dad a dirty sanchez!!

---

I think the reason people give credence to the idea that Bush is trumping up evidence for an invasion of Iran is that they have learned from what he has done in the past. It's pretty clear that he lied about the reasons for invading Iraq. Recently he was ranting about how Iran is developing a nuclear weapon, which has recently been contradicted by the National Intelligence Estimate. Now it seems like this boat scare may have been a bit exagerated as well. It's not some far-fetched illuminati skull-and-bones conspiracy theory to hold out the possibility that he may be lying and exagerating the Iranian threat to get what he wants for whatever reasons he may have --- he's done it before. I think Iran is dangersous and I also think that the naval commanders should be free to deal wtih real threats if they are attacked by Iranian boats. But I'm skeptical of Bush's motivations, and I think this thing was probably inflated in importance to serve his purposes. He's blown his credibility so bad that now people won't believe anything he says, even if it is a real threat, like the kid who cried wolf too many times.

Next time any foregin boats/crafts come within range of our ships like that (few hundred meters) blow them out of the water. All the middle-east/se asia seems to understand is a strong and heavy hand.

I say give it to them in the form of high explosives with extreme accuracy.

If you were walking down the street and some 'thugs' approached you saying they were going to kill you, took threatening moves and displayed what 'might be a weapon' would you just try to talk to them about feel good actions, or defend yourself (assuming you are armed)?

Let's look at the videos:

YouTube - Pentagon 'Iran Attack' Video from USS Hopper

YouTube - IRANIAN VERSION of Gulf Incident -- Full

Looks to me the Pentagon's version had fake audio. Why does the video suddenly cut out? Where are the white boxes the Iranians dumped in the water? Why did they leave out video of the Iranian boats stopped in the water like sitting ducks waiting to be picked off? Those guys could've been picked off with simply a high powered rifle from the stability of one of those huge destroyers.

When you are at sea, and you want to hail a specific vessel, sometimes you have to get close to see the name or the number, especially of there are two or more of the same type in the vicinity. When I was in the Coast Guard, I was in a lot of "incidents" like this where the other boat could've been dangerous, and of course we always took precautions. But, driving past someone, or even across the bow is not considered a threat. Driving at another vessel is. But, if the Iranian boats were "coming to you", why is there no video of the Iranian boats driving at the Navy ships?

Google, "Gulf of Tonkin", "USS Liberty", "USS Maine" and "Phillipine-American War."

LOL? thats suppose to be a threat?

GIVE me a fucking break.

Now neo-cons are gonna use this as a another reason to start a war with Iran, THEY still use the "they have nuclear bombs!!" even those thats been proven false without a reason of doubt.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GrinS

LOL? thats suppose to be a threat?

GIVE me a fucking break.

Now neo-cons are gonna use this as a another reason to start a war with Iran, THEY still use the "they have nuclear bombs!!" even those thats been proven false without a reason of doubt.

---

We learned a lesson with the USS Cole.......

Have a good one!:s4:

they shouldve dropped the big one on em all !

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Psycho4Bud

We learned a lesson with the USS Cole.......

Have a good one!:s4:

---

A lot of people don't know that on the Cole we had a foreign spy that was messaging to the other terrorists the movements of the ship. He was a Petty Officer Second Class in the US Navy. He was a British National, but he was born in an Arabian country.

I don't believe we should allow foreigners in our military. The whole idea is ludicrous to me. I am of the opinion that this did not make the news because our government wants to keep allowing foreigners to swell the ranks of the military, because they cannot get enough Americans to join. Serving in the US military should be a privilege reserved for US born Americans alone.

I read the story in The Navy Times.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Old Stoner

How soon they forget, P4B, but then, we probably "staged" the Cole Incident too...

Geez... Watch out for the black choppers!

---

HAHAHA Old Stoner, and dotn forget about chemtrails and the secret elements in fluoride that is in the water.

Damned the government for wanting to prevent cavities in order to promote mind control

You are also aware, I hope, that during the Regan administration all the free handouts of Government Cheeze had secret transmitters hidden inside them so the masses could be monitored.

This actually doesnt even compare to the BIG project going on the the AMA (American Medical Assosciation) where they would feed the public laced pepperoni on pizza from a specific national chain, when people got done gorging themselves on this tainted food the secret squads would come around and kidnap the people, removing their livers and other organs to put BACK on pizza's thus re-creating the cycle.

While selling other organs to the Chinese for a large profit.

Gotta watch out man!


They are out there, EVERYWHERE!!

Well we all know the US goverment would never lie to thier people :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Humboldt215

HAHAHA Old Stoner, and dotn forget about chemtrails and the secret elements in fluoride that is in the water.

Damned the government for wanting to prevent cavities in order to promote mind control

You are also aware, I hope, that during the Regan administration all the free handouts of Government Cheeze had secret transmitters hidden inside them so the masses could be monitored.

This actually doesnt even compare to the BIG project going on the the AMA (American Medical Assosciation) where they would feed the public laced pepperoni on pizza from a specific national chain, when people got done gorging themselves on this tainted food the secret squads would come around and kidnap the people, removing their livers and other organs to put BACK on pizza's thus re-creating the cycle.

While selling other organs to the Chinese for a large profit.

Gotta watch out man!


They are out there, EVERYWHERE!!

---

On a side note, I don't know about any secret elements in flouride, but it is bad for you. It should not be ingested. There is a lot of research about how unhealthy it is.

US may have given injured British forces infected blood transfusions - Times Online

After reading things like this it's hard to trust anything the US goverment says or does .

Please don't shoot any Americans just to get even. Just because they call it friendly fire, doesn't mean it's really friendly.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dragonrider

Please don't shoot any Americans just to get even. Just because they call it friendly fire, doesn't mean it's really friendly.

---

Yeah I fail to see what is friendly about a bullet in your arse , even if the guy who fired it is supposed to be on your side.

They should turn FF off.

:wtf:

YouTube - US Navy: "you will explode" audio not related to Iranians

listen to this guy talk
he makes more since than the us as a whole


incidents like this happen every day here in america and in china russia and iran.

iran has torpedos and missles and they drop a box in the water. hahaha thats stupid.

they attack and manuver around our ships and we dont attack back. hahahahahhahahahahhahah


and the us cole was stationed in a dock not in open waters, and it was in a hostile country that doesnt much like us, thats 1 reason it was attacked, and it probibly had spys too as stated earlier


the usa has the most sofisticated stuff and most audio and video that comes from our government is shittier than my 4 yr old camera phone, hahahahahha

jmo


dont mess with America


we will kick your arse~ even if it takes a decade

Quote:

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Originally Posted by silkyblue

jmo


dont mess with America


we will kick your arse~ even if it takes a decade

---

I don't think anyone is messing with America , in fact I think it's exactly the opposite.
America messes with everyone else and expects to get away with it.