Can't make this stuff if I tried .... Iran v The US Navy

[Botany]

U.S. officials claim Iranian speedboats swarmed three Navy warships in the Strait of Hormuz,
the narrow waterway that is the only entry and exit to the Persian Gulf. They said U.S. Navy
commanders were considering firing warning shots, before the retreat of the five Iranian
speedboats, which the Pentagon said were operated by the elite Revolutionary Guards.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22644928/wid/18298287

[mike_c]

1. excellent response to this event posted by Ichingcarpenter yesterday....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x331835

[EVDebs]

2. And not a plane or sub in sight. Who's makin' this stuff up ?

Those speedboats won't be allowed w/in explosives distance, if I remember the post USS Cole protocols. And you mean to tell me NO air power was evident during this incident ? Strait of Hormuz is where what percentage of the world's oil flows through ? And if Iran wants to ship it's moneymaking oil out what good does blocking that strait do them ?

[Botany]

5. just about 3 or 4 carriers w/ F-18s

BTW that gun or the ships missiles are radar controlled and computer they would make
anything go "boom" quick.

[damntexdem]

17. Just launching the planes, much less shooting anything off, ...

would be a breach of international law regarding the right to transit Iranian waters in the Straight.

[EVDebs]

23. Don't even need these expensive fighters. The little armed drones could patrol indefinitely

US To Boost Use Of Armed Drones In Iraq And Afghanistan
The Predators are flown by two to four member crews who operate the aircraft from bases in the western United States.
by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) July 13, 2007

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/US_To_Boost_Use_Of_Armed_Drones_In_Iraq_And_Afghanistan_999.html

and on land we have,

http://www.defensetech.org/archives/001246.html

[damntexdem]

14. The Straight is NOT international waters -- the ships were in Iranian waters.

They have the right of transit -- under an international treaty that the U.S. has never ratified. But that means that they must submit to reasonable questioning by Iran, have to act as if they were non-warships, cannot take agressive actions nor warn of them, are prohibited from launching aircraft, and submarines must transit the Straight unsubmerged. Not that the U.S. obeys the international rules, even though it relies on the treaty that spells them out, without ratifying it.

And all the rules go out the window when the Administration wants to pull a Gulf of Tonkin.

[EVDebs]

24. Or a U2 like Gary Powers, scuttled a peace conference by Allen Dulles

http://www.ratical.org/ratville/JFK/SAP.html

[screembloodymurder]

3. And your point?

????

[crikkett]

4. Ha. story link is broken or has been redirected and the story removed

cool 'artist's rendering' of the Elite Revolutionary Guards(R), saved it to my hard drive.

[Botany]

6. Link still works

Navy story in the article .... the rest is nuts too.

[screembloodymurder]

9. What are you trying to say.

I'm not following.... the story seems to have no connection to the picture.

[Botany]

12. part of the story that struck me as funny

Speedboats v Naval Destroyers

And from that they are trying to "gin up a war."

[damntexdem]

19. No, they were making reasonable requests for ships transiting their waters to ID themselves.

Even the U.S. Navy version of the story noted the request for the Navy ships to identify themselves.

[EVDebs]

25. You're kidding right ? Warships flying the US flag ?

If those speedboats were anywhere near the US ships they most likely WERE on a suicide mission of some sort, whether they knew it or not.

[spanone]

13. read on: from link

In a stern warning to Iran days after a Jan. 6 confrontation with U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf, Bush put Tehran on notice that it needs to be careful. The president said it would not matter to him whether an attack against an American vessel resulted from an order by the government in Iran or a rash decision by an Iranian boat captain.

“It’s not going to matter to me one way or another,” Bush said. If the Iranians hit a U.S. ship, “there are going to be serious consequences,” he said.

U.S. officials claim Iranian speedboats swarmed three Navy warships in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that is the only entry and exit to the Persian Gulf. They said U.S. Navy commanders were considering firing warning shots, before the retreat of the five Iranian speedboats, which the Pentagon said were operated by the elite Revolutionary Guards.

Iran has denied that its boats threatened the U.S. vessels, saying the incident was a normal occurrence, and accused Washington of fabricating video and audio it released. Iran’s government has released its own video, which appeared to be shot from a small boat bobbing at least 100 yards from the American warships

[walldude]

18. I think the point may be that the whole idea of the U.S. navy

being scared of a few speedboats is ludicrous. We have the biggest, most high tech military on the planet, and according to our media and government we should be afraid of everyone. Funny, if I'm walking through the park and I'm carrying a big stick, and a man comes towards me with an AK-47, for some strange reason I think I should be scared of him not the other way around.

[damntexdem]

20. No, not walking in the park -- walking in my own yard with a stick.

And when I ask the guy with the AK-47 to identify himself, he threatens to shoot me if I act too threatening with the stick.

[EVDebs]

27. Using un-manned drone aircraft, nottomention land-based drones

which are being introduced into the Iraq/Afgan "theatres" of occupation, this "war" being all about OIL in the first place, the whole idea of the US Navy being scared of a few speedboats means that those boats should have been tracked once they left port. The same for Iranian subs and mini-subs. With the Russians we knew their every move before they left port. Read Blind Man's Bluff by Sherry Sontag and Chris Drew.

[spanone]

7. ...and don't forget that george bu$h* is the best goddam president we've ever had.

:sarcasm:

[99th_Monkey]

8. One interesting wrinkle is there are NO "int'l waters" in the Strait of Hormuz

And US Navy was in violation of Int'l law by operating aircraft there.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JA15Ak02.html

Of course we have to find this out in the foreign press. .. argghh.. :argh:

[Botany]

10. We have to attack them now!

Iran has patroll boats off it's coast? That is an act of war.

[CK_John]

15. A canal from Al Fujayrah to Dubai would make for an interesting project. n/t

[99th_Monkey]

22. Nice map! Can you imagine if the situation were reversed?

A fleet of Iranian Warships armed to the teeth in OUR waters, off OUR coastline?

The whole affair is ludicrous.

[spanone]

11. it was perfectly timed for the bu$h* trip to the mid-east - imo

:tinfoilhat:

[99th_Monkey]

21. Yep. Bush's hand was itchin' for a new sabre to rattle

I'll give Bush one thing, at least he's right about being seen as a "war-monger" .. which I saw in the news today. LOL

[lynnertic]

26. I think he just got one from Prince Salman

[Jack Bone]

16. Iranian gunboats did the same thing to my ship, years ago...

Back in '89, my ship The USS New Jersey encountered some Iranian gunships going through the straights as well. I believe this occurs more than it's reported by the media. Iran simply wants to know what vessels are going into, or out of, the gulf.