US Protests Iran Harassment of US Ships

[rodeodance]

Source: ap


Jan 10, 1:35 PM EST

US Protests Iran Harassment of US Ships

By MATTHEW LEE
Associated Press Writer
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WASHINGTON (AP) -- The United States has lodged a formal diplomatic protest with Iran over a weekend incident in which Iranian speedboats harassed U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf, the State Department said Thursday.

The protest, which repeats public U.S. complaints about the "provocative" action, was sent to the Iranian Foreign Ministry through the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which looks after U.S. interests in Iran, deputy spokesman Tom Casey told reporters. He could not say if the Iranians had actually received and acknowledged receipt of the protest

"We have ... prepared and given to the Swiss a diplomatic note formally protesting this incident," he said. "It reiterates the points that we have made publicly in the last few days."

"We certainly don't want to see the Iranians taking any kind of provocative actions or provocative steps against our ships or against any ships that are transiting what is a primary international waterway," Casey said.

.............

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IRAN?SITE=PASCR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[Robbien]

1. We keep ignoring that the world doesn't believe us on this non-incident

and are now ordering the world to condemn Iran and are demanding an apology for something no one believes is a problem.

World Leaders, ball is now in your court. Whatchagonnado?

[rodeodance]

3. a Formal protest--WH has to have it documented for future Calll to War

[rodeodance]

2. BUT: Unnamed Pentagon Officials: Straits of Hormuz Incident: ALMOST CERTAINLY-A FAKE

Forum Name General Discussion
Topic subject Unnamed Pentagon Officials: Straits of Hormuz Incident: ALMOST CERTAINLY-A FAKE
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2652252#2652252
2652252, Unnamed Pentagon Officials: Straits of Hormuz Incident: ALMOST CERTAINLY-A FAKE
Posted by kpete on Thu Jan-10-08 12:50 PM

Straits of Hormuz Incident: almost certainly a fake
by dday
Thu Jan 10, 2008 at 10:20:16 AM PST

After a few days of scrutiny, the Straits of Hormuz "incident" with Iranian gunships is completely falling apart. Not for the President - he's still using it as a scaremongering tool - but for anyone who's seriously looking at this thing.

It's important to note that non-events like this happen in the Gulf with regularity. In military parlance it's described as "free training. And certainly, from the video released by the Pentagon, it doesn't look like a whole lot more than that. I guess they felt like they had to spruce it up more. So they added this additional audio track that sounds like a random bad guy from Iron Eagle or something, threatening the American ships:

Audio and video, Links and more at:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/1/10/131910/754/859/434427

The audio really makes you laugh out loud. Apparently there are plenty of people at the Pentagon who feel the same way:

The list of those who are less than fully confident in the Pentagon’s video/audio mashup of aggressive maneuvers by Iranian boats near American warships in the Strait of Hormuz now includes the Pentagon itself.

Unnamed Pentagon officials said on Wednesday that the threatening voice heard in the audio clip, which was released on Monday night with a disclaimer that it was recorded separately from the video images and merged with them later, is not directly traceable to the Iranian military.
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/10/degrees-of-confidence-on-us-iran-naval-incident /

[gratuitous]

4. Yes, how DARE those Iranians?

Sending out $5,000 speedboats to harass our multi-billion dollar warships and their crews? Just because we're cruising off their coast with armaments that could kill thousands of their citizens on a few minutes' notice. They're just so touchy! We surely wouldn't object to the presence of carriers and destroyers 15 miles off of New York or Washington; they'd be in international waters, so what could we possibly find objectionable?

Yep, President Uniter Not a Divider is certainly boosting the image of the United States all over the globe.

[rodeodance]

5. U.S.: Voices on Recording May Not Have Been From Iranian Speedboats

Forum Name Latest Breaking News
Topic subject U.S.: Voices on Recording May Not Have Been From Iranian Speedboats
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3132911#3132911
3132911, U.S.: Voices on Recording May Not Have Been From Iranian Speedboats
Posted by havocmom on Thu Jan-10-08 01:34 PM

Source: ABC News

Just two days after the U.S. Navy released the eerie video of Iranian speedboats swarming around American warships, which featured a chilling threat in English, the Navy is saying that the voice on the tape could have come from the shore or from another ship.
...

The Navy never said specifically where the voices came from, but many were left with the impression they had come from the speedboats because of the way the Navy footage was edited.

Today, the spokesperson for the U.S. admiral in charge of the Fifth Fleet clarified to ABC News that the threat may have come from the Iranian boats, or it may have come from somewhere else.

We're saying that we cannot make a direct connection to the boats there," said the spokesperson. "It could have come from the shore, from another ship passing by. However, it happened in the middle of all the very unusual activity, so as we assess the information and situation, we still put it in the total aggregate of what happened Sunday morning. I guess we're not saying that it absolutely came from the boats, but we're not saying it absolutely didn't."

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4115702&page=1


cheney may not have all the military brass under his thumb. Someone squealed about the nukes on the B-52 and now the Navy won't say that they are sure where the threats came from the other day.

[ladjf]

6. There has got to be some way to shut that crazy bastard up. nt

[sarcasmo]

7. U.S. sends formal protest to Iran over incident.

Source: Reuters

We all know this is going to happen. Making their own situation up to start a War. For some reason comcast doesn't let you copy these articles. Here is the link


http://www6.comcast.net/news/articles/general/2008/01/10/NEWS-IRAN-USA-DC/

Read more: http://www6.comcast.net/news/articles/general/2008/01/10/NEWS-IRAN-USA-DC/

[tridim]

8. What a clusterfuck.

Impeach now. Don't wait.

[fascisthunter]

9. Pentagon, Give It Up

you look like idiots.

[gateley]

10. Prelude to an invasion? nt

[Eurobabe]

11. Iranian video of the incident here at WaPO

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/10/AR2008011000692.html?hpid=moreheadlines

[katty]

12. bush/cheney loving that media is 2008 24/7 elec--hey look over there!

while they try try again to get their war on

[windoe]

13. Iranian was just asking for ships' coordinates

after the Americans said they were in international waters--but his accent was so thick it didn't translate. You would have be around a lot of foreigners to understand him, but that is what he said, before he spoke in Farsi. Too bad English and Farsi are such different languages. where is a translator when you need one?