Posted on 01/08/2008 10:34:23 AM PST by america4vr
The U.S. military has video and audio recordings of Iranian high-speed boats that threatened to blow up a three-ship U.S. convoy in the Persian Gulf and plans to release them, the top U.S. Navy commander in the Mideast said Tuesday.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said that its boats never threatened the U.S. vessels during the encounter early Sunday in the Hormuz Strait, insisting it only asked them to identify themselves then let them continue into the Gulf.
But U.S. Vice Adm. Kevin Cosgriff disputed that account, saying the incident was "provocative."
Cosgriff, the commander of U.S. 5th Fleet, which patrols the Gulf and is based in nearby Bahrain, said the identity of the American vessels was obvious, they were clearly marked and the incident took place during daylight when they could be seen.
"I can't help but conclude that it was provocative," Cosgriff told The Associated Press during a telephone interview Tuesday — the same day President Bush was scheduled to leave for his first major trip to the Middle East.
"There is video" of the incident, Cosgriff said. "We're using it as part of our assessment. That will be made available in due course, as well as the audio."
The White House echoed Cosgriff's characterization Tuesday, calling Iran's actions "reckless."
"It was not normal behavior," said White House press secretary Dana Perino. "It's just another point of reference for people in the region who are concerned about the behavior of Iran."
The Pentagon said five small Iranian boats repeatedly "charged" three U.S. warships — cruiser USS Port Royal, destroyer USS Hopper and frigate USS Ingraham — on what the U.S. Navy called a routine passage in international waters.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
So with all the horrific repercussions that it engendered, the US public apology, compensation to the victims' families that ran into the millions, not only the embarrassment for the US and the Navy but also the Iranian terrorist attacks to avenge our mistake with a premeditated murder of innocent civilians, military personnel, maybe, just maybe the US Navy is being a bit gun-shy.
There will be no way to prove the audio came from the boats. It will be declared to have been from an Omani or perhaps Qatari source, but not Iran and not the boats.
Extra points to the Iranian who knew enough English to get the Americans to power up the five inch gun.
“I hate liberals. I really friggin hate them.”
Yup.
One of the problems of being a world power is that you are expected to show patience and rationality.
Now that we've done so, we can blast the bastards to smithereens.
And I know there are sound profiles from the event on every US Navy ship in the area, just waiting for those twerps to fire up their engines so we can fire up our guns.
Personally, I hope we capture the rag heads and send them to Gitmo.
Look up Operation Preying Mantis. I wouldn’t call that a disaster.
Well, you really should be keeping score from 1979, the beginning, when after Jimmy PeanutSeed, pusillanimously allowed the loss of Iran as one of the the greatest geo- political disasters for the US including Cuba, where the score is more like;
Iran-54
US-0
Check this out. Pictures of Iranian idiots being cuffed and arrested by proud US Naval persons.
http://www.navybook.com/nohigherhonor/pic-iranajr.shtml
RADIO CONVERSATION WENT THIS WAY:
Iranian gunboat: "Yankee crusader warship, in the name of Allah we command you to be boarded!"
USS Hopper: "Unidentified vessel on this net, identify yourself"
I.B.: "We are the Revolutionary Guard's supreme navy and we're coming to destroy you!"
USS Hopper: "Lay to, and come about you are too close to a United States Navy Arleigh Burke-class Aegis destroyer!"
I.B.: "Prepare to die, we are going to explode you!"
USS Hopper: Ding, ding, ding, ding,...now man battle stations surface warfare...ding, ding, ding
I.B.: "Squawk, crackle, squeek,(cross talk) Praise the Prophet, commander Adullah, their gun is swinging around at us, their missile silo doors are opening... er, Yankee warship, don't fire, we were just joking!
Hey we did get 1 point when the USS Vincennes toasted that Iranian Air A300. So more like 54-1
Hey, they said they only asked us to identify ourselves....
"This is the USS Range accompanied by the USS Bearing and the USS Mark....and my name is 'SHOOT'........hello?.....hello?"
Poor Rags having an awful hard time identifying US Warships?
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We are in THEIR neighborhood...
They have considerable ability to attack the fleet from shore.
If we were to have attacked these small boats, they would have been JUSTIFIED in attacking all U.S. Naval and Ground forces within the range of their surface to surface ordnance.
If we had to balls to follow the “natural escalation” of this scenario it could lead to the devastation of Iran and possible a few American, Israeli, and allied cities...
I regret to acknowledge we probably no longer hold a meaningful threat of mutually assured destruction over our Islamist adversaries.......they claim to WELCOME martyrdom...
Sadly - we will probably WAIT until Iran/Syria/North Korea deliver a truly horrific strike before we respond — if in fact we have the ability or will to do so....
Their control of OIL, may in the long term permit them to destroy our economy without firing a shot!
Our Leftist will forever fight against anything we do to become self sufficient in energy...
Grim isn’t it?
My vote? Is to strike first and VIOLENTLY at the very next provocation — no matter how slight and Inform the WORLD at the U.N. that this is the case.....
No more free shots, no more blown up barracks, ships or clubs. No more faked attacks on our ships.
Acts of belligerence will be regarded as ACTS OF WAR.
This time - unlike the Bay of Tonkin - we will have video and audio for the freaking “mouth breathers” of the world.
Perhaps then — these Islamists will implement a whole lot more control over their freaking lunatics - once their own homes, families, property, fortunes and asses may be lost as a consequence of their outlandish behavior...
You managed to not only put a huge, happy smile on my face, you also had me saluting the Gipper, in fond, affectionate memory. Gee, I really miss him. I think we, all Americans, do.
Well, let me correct my comment to the time before last.
Thanks again very much for taking the time and trouble.Most appreciated.
Operation Praying Mantis was an April 18, 1988 attack by U.S. naval forces in retaliation for the Iranian mining of the Persian Gulf and the subsequent damage to an American warship.
On April 14, the guided missile frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts struck a mine while sailing in the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Earnest Will, the 1987-88 convoy missions in which U.S. warships escorted reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers to protect them from Iranian attacks. The explosion put a 25-foot hole in the Roberts' hull and nearly sank it. The crew saved their ship with no loss of life, and Roberts was towed to Dubai on April 16.
After the mining, U.S. Navy divers recovered other mines in the area. When the serial numbers were found to match those of mines seized along with the Iran Ajr the previous September, U.S. military officials planned a retaliatory operation against Iranian targets in the Gulf.
The battle, the largest for American surface forces since World War II,[1] sank two Iranian warships and three armed speedboats. It also marked the first surface-to-surface missile engagement in U.S. Navy history.
The attack by the U.S. helped pressure Iran to agree to a ceasefire with Iraq later that summer, ending the eight-year conflict between the Persian Gulf neighbors.
Nevertheless, as the formidable adversary we are, our military might, prowess, capabilities as overwhelmingly world-renowned as they are, responding to what amounts to Iran's prank-ish demonstration does not even merit the US Navy's recognition.
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