Testing our patience? Looks like the Iranians were doing just that
The Telegraph reports that we were moments away from an armed confrontation with Iranian gunboats this past weekend:
US Navy commanders were moments away from firing on Iranian attack ships during a skirmish in the Straits of Hormuz, it has emerged.
A Pentagon spokesman revealed that five Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy boats harassed and provoked three US ships in the narrow waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf at the weekend.
The Iranian craft came within 200 yards of the US vessels, which were sailing in international waters. The Iranian provocations included disregarding warnings to pull back, dropping mysterious objects in the path of the US ships and a hostile radio transmission.
The Pentagon said a radio message warned: "I am coming at you. You will explode in a couple of minutes."
The Iranian boats pulled away as a US Navy captain gave his crew orders to open fire.
"Five small boats were acting in a very aggressive way, charging the ships, dropping boxes in the water in front of the ships and causing our ships to take evasive manoeuvres," the Pentagon official said.
Last year the Iranians tried this on the British, and were able to seize fifteen Marines and sailors. The Brits didn't fire a shot, and put up no resistance. Some are saying this might have been a dry run for a USS Cole style of attack, which it very well may have been. For the casual observer, this was the Iranian way of testing the limits of our patience. Personally, I wouldn't have shed a tear over the captain's order to fire on the Iranians. They provoked it, and they'd be the ones paying the ultimate price in the long run.
They knew they weren't going to be able to seize the crew of these ships. Unlike the Brits, we don't use small patrol craft that could be boarded or sunk by an aggressive regime. At least not the sort the Brits use. And if these antics keep up, the next time we run into a group of Iranian boats intent to antagonize us, or possibly attack us, we should send at least one of them to the bottom of the ocean. Maybe taking a rolled up newspaper to the dog of the region might force them to back down a tad.
If it's true that these were Revolutionary Guard boats, then Iran has to understand the consequences of such a confrontation. It will lead to war. But you really have to question their intelligence. Our ships were in international waters, and these little patrol boats were going up against a cruiser, a destroyer, and a frigate. The Iranians are claiming they didn't recognize the ships, yet they were 200 yards away; close enough to recognize the Stars and Stripes through a set of binoculars, if not with the naked eye.
The Iranian spin doesn't fly. They were trying to provoke a response. The next time there will be a response, and it's not going to be pleasant for them.
Publius II
US Navy commanders were moments away from firing on Iranian attack ships during a skirmish in the Straits of Hormuz, it has emerged.
A Pentagon spokesman revealed that five Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy boats harassed and provoked three US ships in the narrow waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf at the weekend.
The Iranian craft came within 200 yards of the US vessels, which were sailing in international waters. The Iranian provocations included disregarding warnings to pull back, dropping mysterious objects in the path of the US ships and a hostile radio transmission.
The Pentagon said a radio message warned: "I am coming at you. You will explode in a couple of minutes."
The Iranian boats pulled away as a US Navy captain gave his crew orders to open fire.
"Five small boats were acting in a very aggressive way, charging the ships, dropping boxes in the water in front of the ships and causing our ships to take evasive manoeuvres," the Pentagon official said.
Last year the Iranians tried this on the British, and were able to seize fifteen Marines and sailors. The Brits didn't fire a shot, and put up no resistance. Some are saying this might have been a dry run for a USS Cole style of attack, which it very well may have been. For the casual observer, this was the Iranian way of testing the limits of our patience. Personally, I wouldn't have shed a tear over the captain's order to fire on the Iranians. They provoked it, and they'd be the ones paying the ultimate price in the long run.
They knew they weren't going to be able to seize the crew of these ships. Unlike the Brits, we don't use small patrol craft that could be boarded or sunk by an aggressive regime. At least not the sort the Brits use. And if these antics keep up, the next time we run into a group of Iranian boats intent to antagonize us, or possibly attack us, we should send at least one of them to the bottom of the ocean. Maybe taking a rolled up newspaper to the dog of the region might force them to back down a tad.
If it's true that these were Revolutionary Guard boats, then Iran has to understand the consequences of such a confrontation. It will lead to war. But you really have to question their intelligence. Our ships were in international waters, and these little patrol boats were going up against a cruiser, a destroyer, and a frigate. The Iranians are claiming they didn't recognize the ships, yet they were 200 yards away; close enough to recognize the Stars and Stripes through a set of binoculars, if not with the naked eye.
The Iranian spin doesn't fly. They were trying to provoke a response. The next time there will be a response, and it's not going to be pleasant for them.
Publius II
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 4:31 PM
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