US officials scramble after Iran takes two Navy ships into custody

The Hill ^ | January 12th, 2016 | By Kristina Wong

[Mariner]

Iran has taken two small U.S. Navy ships into custody, Pentagon officials said Tuesday, creating a diplomatic scramble just hours before President Obama's State of the Union address.

A senior defense official said two U.S. Navy riverine craft were going from Kuwait to Bahrain when they encountered Iranian military vessels. Ten American sailors were taken into military custody, the official said.

"They ran into some type of an issue, and were picked up by the Iranian craft," the official said, who added the issue is not yet understood.

"Subsequently, U.S. and Iranian government officials have discussed the situation and negotiated their transit," the official said.

"They're being allowed to continue their journey," said the official, who did not want to characterize whether the Americans were being escorted by the Iranian vessels.

"We have received assurances the sailors will promptly be allowed to continue their journey."

A second senior defense official said earlier that the Pentagon had "lost contact" with the U.S. boats and had been in communication with Iranian authorities.

Deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters Tuesday the U.S. is working to resolve the situation so that American personnel are returned to "normal deployment."

[Mariner]

I was hoping to use this article as a vehicle to deconstruct what we are being told.

I don't buy the official story and hope old sailors and specops guys can help debunk:

There no way two US Riverine Patrol Boats lost communications. They have UHF and VHF radios at least, probably HF too. There may have been mobile satcom aboard.

What were two small boats doing 50 miles offshore? That's weird.

If there was any intelligence equipment aboard, the Iranians will not release them anytime soon.

So, were these guys in routine transit from Kuwait to Bahrain (250miles?), lost sight of land, turned off their GPS, broke down and drifted to Iranian waters, confronted by Iranian fast boats...and forced ashore without a single call home?

Really?

[BenLurkin]

“They ran into some type of an issue”

The official explanation.

[gaijin]

Irresponsible Rules of Engagement..?

[Steely Tom]

“Yeah, but they’re small ships.”

[Southack]

It’s safe to say that was a SpecOps mission gone bad. Any mission you can come back from, though, isn’t *all* bad.

[eyeamok]

But this is coming from the White House, they would never LIE to us!

/s

[Jeff Head]

We’re “scrambling”? Really?

This is serious BS.

Riverine boats are small...but generally armed to the teeth, and fast.

If there were two and one started drifting, why didn’t the other one tow it to safety?

Or, if things started getting dicey, why didn’t the guys on the one get on the other and high tail it?

Failing all of that, why didn’t they call for help and then light up the approaching Iranian craft?

something is seriously not right about this story. One day we will know what it is.

This is crazy.

When the Iranians attempted to phase Reagan in the 1980s, he blew the hell out of the Iranian Navy in a day. Google Operation Preying Mantis.

We have a rag tag, coastal defense force taking US sailors prisoner?

Give them 8 hours to give us EVERYTHING back, and then unleash hell.

[VanShuyten]

So, maybe there weren’t just 10 sailors?

[Norm Lenhart]

Scramble to what? Give them the Ronald Reagan in tribute?

[Shady]

We were ambushed in Intl waters. But the Wizzard of BOZ and his Court will not come clean....this is serious.

[ETL]

August 2015...

______________________________________________________

From Real Clear Politics, Sept 10, 2015...

"In a 2014 New Yorker interview, Obama said his goal was to create a 'new equilibrium' in the Middle East.

In the short run, at least, his signature diplomatic undertaking can be counted on to bring more violence to this volatile region.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the [Obama-Putin Iran deal] agreement is formally known, provides the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism an infusion of somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 billion of unfrozen assets and a great deal more of continuing revenues as businesses and governments around the world rush to profit from oil-and-gas-rich Iran's reintegration into the world economy.

The agreement relaxes the international isolation of the Islamic Republic and ratifies Tehran's status as a nuclear threshold state. And it relieves restrictions on Iran's acquisition of weapons, including ballistic missiles. ..."

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2015/09/10/iran_deal_throws_sparks_on_mideast_tinderbox_128034.html

[Squantos]

BTTT

[gaijin]

If you join Obamas military, you will be sent on stupid misions, or will be abandoned to the enemy.

That was Benghazi, and that is now, as we see.

[blueunicorn6]

“When they encountered Iranian naval vessels”

That’s different from “had mechanical troubles and drifted into their island”.

One thing you can be sure of, if it makes the Democrats look bad, they’ll be busy covering up.

[txhurl]

bttt surprised so few freepers tracking this

[sphinx]

Has the teleprompter issued a statement yet?

[mouser]

Look at the bright side in about a year we get a new President

They will be sent home then

this will turn out like under carter nothing will be done

[Mariner]

"We were ambushed in Intl waters"

Even if that's the case, which is a fact not in evidence, there would have extended communications with other assets in the region.

Hell, there are aircraft, a carrier even, within 100miles or 5 minutes of the location.

There are some very important facts we are not being told. And it may be because of the SOTU speech tonight...

[Eddie01]

The two US Navy boats did not fail simultaneously.

They were where they were and when approached by Iranian military, surrendered.

Beyond that nothing else is known or will ever be known.

They will not be released unless more concessions by the US are made.

Obama and his administration with lie about every aspect of the situation.

[blueunicorn6]

How stupid is Obama after what happened at Benghazi?

Does this stupid shit President never learn a lesson?