Iranian boats, U.S. Navy warships in standoff

[dragonrider]

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.

[ZiG]

"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

[Zimzum]

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.

[Psycho4Bud]

""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:

[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!!

[dragonrider]

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.

[Humboldt215]

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)?

[angry nomad]

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."

[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.

[Psycho4Bud]

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: