Ready For Another War?

[PlatyPius 5]

U.S. says Iranian gunboats harassed warships

Officials describe incident as a 'significant provocative act'

BREAKING NEWS

By Jim Miklaszewski

NBC News

updated 22 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Iranian Revolutionary Guard gunboats harassed three U.S. Navy warships in the Strait of Hormuz Sunday, in what the U.S. military considers a "significant provocative act."

Military officials told NBC News that two US Navy destroyers and one frigate were heading into the Persian Gulf through the international waters of the Strait of Hormuz when five armed "fast boats" of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard approached a high speed, darting in and out of the formation.

At one point a radio message from one of the Iranian boats warned, "You are going to blow up within minutes."

The Navy warships went into defensive mode, radioed the usual warnings to steer clear, and in the end no shots were fired. U.S. military warships believe the Revolutionary Guard boats were "testing our defenses," the officials said.

The United States expressed concern when the Revolutionary Guard forces took over Iranian naval operations in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz from the regular navy more than five months ago.

However, Sunday's incident was the first significant act of provocation since then.

Revolutionary Guard forces also briefly took a number of British sailors into custody even though the British claim they were operating in international waters off the coast of Iraq.

Edited January 7, 2008 by PlatyPius

[Ban Hammer 13,676]

gunboats bothering a destroyer or even a frigate means someone has a death wish.

[MrConservative 0]

So do you think we are being agressive or is Iran? And if Iran is the agressor would you just tuck tail and run or would you defend yourself?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Sabre-rattling. Same old.

[PlatyPius 5]

So do you think we are being agressive or is Iran? And if Iran is the agressor would you just tuck tail and run or would you defend yourself?

Defend myself against what? A speedboat full of adolescents with a big boom stereo, trying to over-compensate for having tiny willies?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

So do you think we are being agressive or is Iran? And if Iran is the agressor would you just tuck tail and run or would you defend yourself?

Defend myself against what? A speedboat full of adolescents with a big boom stereo, trying to over-compensate for having tiny willies?

You're forgetting "strong language"

[MrConservative 0]

So do you think we are being agressive or is Iran? And if Iran is the agressor would you just tuck tail and run or would you defend yourself?

Defend myself against what? A speedboat full of adolescents with a big boom stereo, trying to over-compensate for having tiny willies?

Your comment in the title implies that you think we are about to start a war. If they fire first what would you do about it?

[PlatyPius 5]

So do you think we are being agressive or is Iran? And if Iran is the agressor would you just tuck tail and run or would you defend yourself?

Defend myself against what? A speedboat full of adolescents with a big boom stereo, trying to over-compensate for having tiny willies?

Your comment in the title implies that you think we are about to start a war. If they fire first what would you do about it?

Spank your ####### and call you Charlie.

Edited January 7, 2008 by PlatyPius

[mawilson 2,133]

Sabre-rattling. Same old.

It's "sabre-rattling" only until one side decides to call it an "act of war"...

[one...two...tree 2,762]

So do you think we are being agressive or is Iran? And if Iran is the agressor would you just tuck tail and run or would you defend yourself?

Defend myself against what? A speedboat full of adolescents with a big boom stereo, trying to over-compensate for having tiny willies?

Your comment in the title implies that you think we are about to start a war. If they fire first what would you do about it?

Spank your ####### and call you Charlie.

[Ban Hammer 13,676]

Iran plays down Gulf incident with US

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's Foreign Ministry said Monday that a confrontation between Iranian boats and U.S. Navy ships in the Persian Gulf over the weekend was "something normal" and was resolved. It suggested the Iranian boats had not recognized the U.S. vessels.

( #######? you can't recognize the us flag flown on a ship? and it's normal to go annoy a large warship? )

The Pentagon said that in the incident early Sunday, five small Iranian boats repeatedly "charged" U.S. warships in the Gulf's Hormuz Strait and dropped boxes in the water. The boats warned the U.S. ships that they would set up "explosions," a U.S. Defense Department official said.

The U.S. craft were on the verge of opening fire when the Iranian boats fled, the official said, calling the incidident "the most serious provocation of its sort" in the Gulf. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record.

But Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammed Ali Hosseini played down the incident, suggesting it was an issue of mistaken identity. He did not comment on the U.S. claims of the Iranian boats' actions.

"That is something normal that takes place every now and then for each party, and it (the problem) is settled after identification of the two parties," he told the state news agency IRNA.

The incident was "similar to past ones" that were resolved "once the two sides recognized each other."

U.S. Navy and Iranian officials have said in the past that vessels from the two rival nations frequently come into contact in the waters of the narrow, heavily trafficked Gulf. They often communicate by radio to avoid incidents.

But the latest incident was the first time U.S. officials have spoken of such a direct threat from Iranian boats.

The incident occurred at about 5 a.m. local time Sunday as Navy cruiser USS Port Royal, destroyer USS Hopper and frigate USS Ingraham were on their way into the Persian Gulf and passing through the strait — a major oil shipping route.

Five small boats began charging the U.S. ships, dropping boxes in the water in front of the ships and forcing the U.S. ships to take evasive maneuvers, the Pentagon official said.

There were no injuries but the official said there could have been, because the Iranian boats turned away "literally at the very moment that U.S. forces were preparing to open fire" in self defense.

The official said he didn't have the precise transcript of communications that passed between the two forces, but said the Iranians radioed something like "we're coming at you and you'll explode in a couple minutes."

link

Edited January 7, 2008 by charlesandnessa

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Sabre-rattling. Same old.

It's "sabre-rattling" only until one side decides to call it an "act of war"...

True. But that requires a bit more than idle talk.

[HAL 9000 96]

Would it be seen as the same if some other country was patroling international waters... just off the Florida Straits? I think we'd probably send more than just fast boats IMHO.

[Ban Hammer 13,676]

Would it be seen as the same if some other country was patroling international waters... just off the Florida Straits? I think we'd probably send more than just fast boats IMHO.

international waters - not a big deal is it?

[HAL 9000 96]

Would it be seen as the same if some other country was patroling international waters... just off the Florida Straits? I think we'd probably send more than just fast boats IMHO.

international waters - not a big deal is it?

Not to me... although the US Military took offense apparently. Maybe its international waters to some but a backyard to others...