Iranians threaten to blow up US Navy ships _ Hormuz Strait

Telegraph UK ^ | 4:12pm GMT 07/01/2008 | Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent

[tobyhill]

Enough talk from the US blabbermouth bureaucrats and start firing. These “warnings” are getting a bit embarrassing.

[Eye of Unk]

It won’t happen again I bet. We actually had our finger on the button to make some Iranian fish food. Historically its been a form of counting “coup” the American Indians did it to harass soldiers. We could play the game but up the stakes, I mean put some heads on stakes.
I ernestly hope somebody has a plan to step ahead of the game, get a Predator to hang around and stop them as they leave shore.

[MEG33]

Amen..Thank you, Ernest.May God Keep Safe All In Harm’s Way.

[azhenfud]

Not at 200 yds - too far away for anything but a combo meal of lead poisoning and water ingestion.

[newnhdad]

Forgive my ignorance on this but could a swarm of ships of this size, armed with one or two torpedoes each, do damage to a small group of ships such as this one?

[RightWhale]

Could be. The Strait has been probably the major flashpoint should one of the ME producers decide to commit economic suicide.

[Paul Ross]

This cannot be allowed to happen again. The next time patrol boats approach American vessels and threaten attack, one of them has to head to the bottom of the gulf. If the Iranians want a test, we can provide them with one for emergency evac.

Precisely right. Ed is correct, that we need to "send a message" that we will not be reduced to "playing chicken" on the high seas because we are afraid of war.

This kind of stunt is intended to show that we WON'T fight. That we will always back down.

This dangerous and reckless provocation has to be met with appropriate responses. An open radio threat such as was received....should have been the END for the entire flotilla.

That it wasn't implies that the rules of engagement are simply hand-cuffing our captains.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

It should get the risk premium for oil back up there...helps the OPECers///

From ABCNES:

Iranians threatened U.S. ships in Hormuz: Pentagon

********************EXCERPT************************

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Five Iranian boats made aggressive maneuvers and showed hostile intent towards three U.S. Navy ships at the weekend in the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil shipping route in the Gulf, the Pentagon said on Monday.

The Pentagon said the incident was serious. It described the Iranian actions as "careless, reckless and potentially hostile" and said Tehran should provide an explanation.

*****************************************

In Tehran, the Iranian foreign ministry described the incident as ordinary.

"The example that happened on Saturday was similar to previous cases and is an ordinary and natural issue," Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told Iran's official IRNA news agency.

"This is an ordinary issue that happens for the two sides every once in a while and, after the identification of the two sides, the issue is resolved."

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

Vince Flynn’s fiction is turned into the truth.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

If there was “an order to fire,” then why didn’t we fire? Was it discretionary? Also, what would we be firing? Phalanx?

[RightWhale]

Yes, indeed. It would be suicide but severe damage to Navy equipment and personnel is possible.

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

Where are the fishing poles?

[tobyhill]

“Officials call it ‘provocative;’ Iran says ships didn’t recognize each other”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22537199/

[RightWhale]

You would think oil would blip upward at this, but it seems to be a non event for the commodity exchange.

[Paul Ross]

All they need to do, is for us to fire first, then they have achieved a propaganda victory similar to the Brit incident.

Nah. There, the Iranians assaulted that small British patrol with overwhelming firepower, here it is the opposite, a small Iranian patrol attempting to take on vessels far more powerful than they are.

It is a propaganda victory for them if they come away from that encounter without being obliterated.

They weren't, hence it becomes another in a string of such propaganda victories that we are handing them by fence-sitting and ham-handed rules of engagement.

[MarineBrat]

The Iranian craft came within 200 yards of the US vessels, which were sailing in international waters.

They'd have been shark sh** at 10x that distance had I been at the trigger.

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

High volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel, WOT

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[B-Cause]

Ten months ago, the Iranians tested British resolve in the Gulf, and came away with an important propaganda victory after capturing 15 Royal Navy sailors and marines. The UK did not engage in a military response, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave the Brits a "gift" by returning the captives.

[Paul Ross]

Also, what would we be firing? Phalanx?

No. Those are for close-in-antimissle defense. Most likely the Five-inch guns.

[Ancient Drive]

They were expecting our soldiers to play nice like the Brits. That Fire Away command was not foreseen...