U.S. military reports "significant confrontation" between 5 Iranian vessels...

All the media says is subjective and pro american anyway.

Doesn't say anything about the truth if you ask me.

Originally posted by xmotex
I don't think this was a case of the USN going cowboy and provoking the Iranians (a la the Vincennes Airbus shootdown disaster.) It sounds to me like the USN commander on scene acted with great restraint in fact.

How did we "go cowboy and provoke the Iranians" in that case?

Did we file the flight plan for the aircraft? Did we take remote control of the plane (as some here would have you believe we can)?

I must have missed the part where we prodded the Iranians when that ocurred.

Originally posted by abovetech
All the media says is subjective and pro american anyway.

Doesn't say anything about the truth if you ask me.

I agree with that completely it is still very one sided and it seems these days it stays that way cause that is was gets people to watch fear fear and more fear..

Respectfully
GEO

Originally posted by Hal9000
Update: Iran's response.

The Iranian government said Monday that the incident was "something normal" and had been resolved, The Associated Press reported. The Iranian Foreign Ministry indicated that the Iranian boats hadn't recognized the U.S. ships, according to the AP.

Iranian ships 'harass' U.S. Navy, officials say

I was also first thinking "false flag" when I read about this, but according to Iran it was a misunderstanding. At least they admit that it happened.

So, there goes all the "Gulf of Tonkin" conspiracy theories. Time for you all to put the blame instead where it really belongs - on the iranians.

And the iranians admit that they consider harrassing U.S. Navy ships to be "something normal"? That should scare a lot of people.

And they can't recognize a warship until they get within 200 yards? Total iranian BS IMO.

Time for all the iranian apologists to pack it in for this thread and move on to their next assignment.

[edit on 1/7/2008 by centurion1211]

reply to post by Navieko


Thanks for the news.

The Iranians are blowing smoke, nothing more. They don't want any foreigners near their homeland, go figure. I don't think we like that very much either.

As for 'threatening' US warships, I doubt they are that stupid. The Iranians know they cannot win a naval battle with the US military, regardless of how thin our lines have been spread.

This would be a suicide mission for the Iranian navy if they wish a confrontation.

I would doubt anything the US military has to say about Iran these days anyway.

One moment they talk of the Iranians discontinuation of their nuclear arms program, next they try to gain emotional support at home for an Iranian invasion. Makes me sick.

Originally posted by centurion1211
And they can't recognize a warship until they get within 200 yards? Total iranian BS IMO.

Does anyone know what the weather was like at the time of the incident? There are some wicked fog conditions that can develop out there.

Perhaps they could not see for sure who it was due to the fog and once they could see who it was they turned tail?

Originally posted by citizen smith
It's high time that the Iranians showed that they REALLY mean business and instead of mere sabre-rattling rhetoric, let loose a nice shiny Sunburn across the USN's bows!

If it weren't such a serious issue, I'd find the implicit double standard in that comment incredibly amusing. On the one hand, the United States Navy isn't supposed to exercise the internationally-recognized right to transit international waters....but on the other hand, Iran would be applauded for firing live ordnance at a ship in those same international waters? I can't *wait* to hear the justification for this one.

Personally, I find rhetoric a LOT less troubling than things that go boom, but what the *deleted to save the censor the trouble* do I know? I'm just a right-wing, slightly-reformed hillbilly....

i take the incident as not unusual nor unexpected...

the Iranian Revolutionary Guard gunboat captain(s)
are taking a page from the North Koreans
as they create & provoke incidents all the time in the DMZ
(demilitarized zone)

the seemingly rogue zealot Captain's probably stepped over
the line that the Supreme Leader has established about
ship-ship confrontation ~~~~~~or maybe not ~~~~~~~

Iran has hundreds (reportedly) of mobile Exocet type missiles
that skim the sea surface & target shipping; Naval or commercial.
these gunboats might have been part of that arsenal,
the intel just isn't saying yet.


cat & mouse tactics, (hairy!)

I must have missed the part where we prodded the Iranians when that ocurred.

Then you need to look harder.

The commanders of both other USN vessels in that case are on record as stating of the captain of the Vincennes provoked the earlier confrontation with the Iranians during that incident, violated his ROE, and fired on a target while there was conflicting information about it's course and identity.

Originally posted by centurion1211
And the iranians admit theat they consider harrassing U.S. Navy ships to be "something normal"? That should scare a lot of people.

Keep in mind that "something normal" could be an issue with interpretation of their response and not what they really meant, so I wouldn't consider it a threat without clarification. I do agree that they should have been able to recognize them sooner and was probably a test of our response. They are obviously trying to downplay the incident, but it is a dangerous game they are playing.

I just wonder what were the white boxes they were throwing overboard? That part doesn't make sense.

reply to post by centurion1211


Do you speak Farsi, cuz I sure don't.

How do you know what they said? The USN releases a report...And you take it as 100% true.

I wonder what other kind of crap you'd swallow whole. Another false flag attack, HM?

reply to post by centurion1211


and time for the Neo facists
to move on to the next topic on carpet bombing a country
MOVE ALONG its been noted as a mistake and admited by the Iranians

ps love the word Iranian apoligists

Originally posted by JSR
"waht's in the box........what's in the box!!"
from the movie Seven.

The Iranian boats made "threatening" moves toward the U.S. ships and in one case came within 200 yards of one of them, the U.S. officials said. Source

200 yards seems close for one warship to approach another. At what distance does one consider the other to be a threat before force is authorized? Or does one need to fire upon the other first? This is all new to me

On Friday, the U.S. Navy announced the same team of naval ships had been searching in the Arabian Sea for a sailor missing for a day from the USS Hopper. The outcome of the search was not immediately known Monday. Source

And it seems there is a man missing from the same group of US naval ships?

reply to post by Alexi Humi


200 yards is close considering the advanced radar both sides should have been using.

I was actually more surprised that the USN ships didn't shoot over the bow of the Iranian vessels. Did the USN want the Iranians to get close enough to be fired upon?

There's something fishy here going on. I am assuming both sides knew they were not friendly warships. What makes it even more interesting is the fact the USN ships did nothing when the Iranians were so close.

The USN must have wanted them to get within 200 yards and possibly attack, provoking a military conflict.

reply to post by bodrul


I guess I'm an apologist bodrul .

Too bad I am not pro any country...Even the one I reside in. That must confuse a lot of nationalists .

When you challenge a statement made by the government or US media you are automatically pro-Palestine or pro-Iran or anti-American. I love it .

reply to post by Boone 870

In war, truth is the first casualty.

Aeschylus (525 BC - 456 BC)

The news sources in whom I place greater trust will be reporting on the truth behind these events when it has been ascertained.

Keep in mind, the "truthiness" of this incident will be reported by the MSM when one of their five corporate masters have given their approval to the spin.

Consider their motives, and who and what they represent.

Take your breaking news with a healthy grain of salt, and a generous dose of skepticism.

Read between the lines and think for yourself.

Turn off your tv and google "alternative, independent news sources."

Open your mind to the possibilities, just don't let your brain fall out.

reply to post by Brother Stormhammer


Apologies for any unintended offence in that post...I just got supremely miffed and was blowing steam...I should know better and have gone for a walk round the block to cool off instead

Above and beyond all the extremist crap and the spoiling-for-a-fight that's been festering in Washington ever since they got bored with Iraq, if we get tangled-up in a military confrontation with Iran you can all kiss our economy goodbye. It's circling the drain right now and all you need is another yank on the handle to finish the job.

We're spending something in the neighborhood of $12b/month for our current adventures. We'll easily double that if we start-up with Iran. Not to mention $400/bb oil wouldn't be unreasonable if the Straights get shutdown.

The people that get rich off war only get rich when we're expending lots of materiel. 'Shock-n-Awe' is like printing money for them. $500M here... $500M there. They don't give a rats ass what happens to the economy as a result. Their Cayman Islands accounts are full to overflowing. They'll simply wait for the economy to completely collapse and buy-up the spoils at pennies-on-the-dollar. Not everybody was hurt by the last Depression.

reply to post by biggie smalls


On ATS we will always have those people that will label others
because they dont share their views and something we have to live with and at the same time we should take it as a compliment

reply to post by COOL HAND


If any group of foreign naval units sailed along the boundary of international/territorial waters of the US they would be met with the same response...especially so when the US has made veiled comment after comment and strategy after strategy about how they would effect the removal of the Iranian political regime by many different means