Iran Seizes 2 US Navy Boats, Crewmen For "Illegally Entering Iranian Waters"
Update: Iran plans to return the crewmen to a ship from the USS Truman carrier strike group on Wednesday.
JUST IN: Plans are in place for Iran to return U.S. sailors to U.S. Navy Wed. morning, gulf time, US defense official says - Reuters
— CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) January 13, 2016
JUST IN: #Iran to return detained #US sailors to a ship from USS Truman carrier strike group: US defence official
— The Straits Times (@STcom) January 13, 2016
So we suppose we can just call the sailors "State of the Union hostages". The rationale for waiting until tomorrow (i.e. until after Obama's speech): it's safer to carry out the exchange in daylight, according to an unnamed US official.
In short, the Ayatollah has just pulled off one epic publicity stunt.
* * *
Tensions were already running high between Tehran and Washington in the wake of Iran's move to test-fire a next generation surface-to-surface ballistic missile with the range to hit Israel.
And then the IRGC conducted a live-fire rocket test within 1,500 yards of a US aircraft carrier in the Strait of Hormuz.
Now, in a further escalation, Iran has reportedly seized two US Navy ships.
- 2 U.S. NAVY BOATS IN IRANIAN CUSTODY, PENTAGON SAYS: AP
- RHODES SAYS U.S. WORKING ON RETURN OF CREW
- RHODES SAYS U.S. WORKING TO RESOLV
But nobody panic, because Iran has promised to return the crew "promptly" and as CNN adds, according to Iran the sailors are safe:
.@PressSec: "We have received assurances from the Iranians that our sailors are safe" https://t.co/GV9hdWZy3P https://t.co/1ioOtqYVH4
— CNN (@CNN) January 12, 2016
That appears to contradict a statement from Fars which says the US has "repeated" calls for the crew's release.
AP writes that the Pentagon says it briefly lost contact with two small Navy craft in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday but has received assurances from Iran that the crew and vessels will be returned safely and promptly.
Pentagon says these photos show examples of the type of craft involved in Iran incident pic.twitter.com/47ClLilOZK
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) January 12, 2016
"Riverine command boats or RCBs, are actually Swedish CB-90s and are a type of fast attack craft," WaPo notes, adding that "in a number of pictures released by the U.S. Navy, the boats are outfitted with a number of light, medium and heavy weapons including .50 caliber heavy machine guns and GAU-19 miniguns."
"RCB’s can carry contingents of infantry and special operation forces and are often crewed by sailors in Riverine squadrons, known by some as River Rats," WaPo continues. "The riverine force came of age in the Vietnam War in what was then known as the Brown Water Navy. In the 1960s and early 1970s boats such as Patrol Boat, River (from ‘Apocalypse Now’ fame) and Swift Boats were the River Rats vessels of choice."
Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook tells The Associated Press that the boats were moving between Kuwait and Bahrain when the US lost contact with them.
Cook says, "We have been in contact with Iran and have received assurances that the crew and the vessels will be returned promptly."
The crews, which total 10 Navy sailors, are being held at Farsi Island, a highly restricted island between Bahrain and Kuwait, where Iran has a naval base. US officials are saying it is unclear how the crew members ended up in Iranian waters, though Secretary of State John Kerry has kept phone contact with Iranian officials in Tehran, urging for a release. A senior official told NBC News the Iranians understand a mistake was made and have agreed to a release to come in hours.
According to AP, an anonymous senior official says Kerry "personally engaged with” Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif to work out a solution almost immediately upon hearing of the development around 12:30 pm EST.
Josh Earnest, the White House spokesperson, said the sailors will be released "promptly" and " allowed to continue their journey."
The international incident comes on the day President Obama will give his final State of the Union speech of his tenure. Obama's political opponents are capitalizing on the timing, especially since the International Spectator, citing Iran Revolutionary Guard, reports that "seized US sailors will not be released tonight or before State of the Union address."
Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) told CNN, "senior members of Barack Obama's administration are apologizing for Iran seizing two US Navy vessels and holding 10 sailors hostage. The White House tonight is a hot bed of cold feet."
Presidential candidates Dr. Ben Carson and Jeb Bush have taken to Twitter to criticize Obama's reaction. Bush called for "no more bargaining" and an immediate return home for the sailors, whereas Carson took a shot at Obama's "preparing to talk about his so called 'accomplishments'" in reference to tonight's national address.
If our sailors aren’t coming home yet, they need to be now. No more bargaining. Obama’s humiliatingly weak Iran policy is exposed again.
— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) January 12, 2016
BREAKING: While POTUS is preparing to talk about his so called "accomplishments", 10 of our American sailors are being held by #Iran.
— Dr. Ben Carson (@RealBenCarson) January 12, 2016
This marks the second time in as many weeks that the President's "soft" policy on Iran has come under fire. Following the abovementioned rocket incident GOP lawmakers called for fresh sanctions on Tehran in connection with two ballistic missile launches in October and November. The White House was apparently prepared to announce a new set of measures aimed at around a dozen individuals and companies but at the last minute, the administration backed out. Obama's cold feet came after President Rouhani ordered the defense ministry to accelerate the country's ballistic missile program in the event new sanctions were put in place.
Meanwhile, according to Iran's version of today's events, Fars News agency says US sailors picked up by Revolutionary Guard Corps, from hardline camp who are opposed to the nuclear deal. Fars adds that the sailors were detained for illegally and "intentionally" entering Iranian waters even though they knew the area well. Tehran also contends the US ships were having "technical difficulties."
Fars News says IRGC detained 10 US military personnel in 2 boats for illegally entering Iranian waters in Gulf https://t.co/daqeCflOrM
— Borzou Daragahi (@borzou) January 12, 2016
Fars says US sailors know area, carrying GPS, intentionally entered Iran's territorial waters
— Sobhan Hassanvand (@Hassanvand) January 12, 2016
Fars: Both US boats "illegally" entered 2 km into Iranian waters, and IRGC confirms this info on their GPS record. https://t.co/V266Fsx42h
— FDD's Iran Project (@FDD_Iran) January 12, 2016
Just in: Iran's Fars news agency says 10 US sailors held include one woman
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) January 12, 2016
#Iran Questions:
- Kuwait to Bahrain is 300 nautical miles. Why were US sailors traveling by small boats? Joy ride? https://t.co/xmRCY6Or36
— Tarek Fatah (@TarekFatah) January 13, 2016
And here is the full Fars statement, google translated:
According to defense Fars News Agency, Iranian Revolutionary Guards 10 US military with two boats illegally entered Iranian waters in the Persian Gulf had been detained.
According to the information received by the Fars news agency every American boat is equipped with 3 machine guns caliber 50 (one in front and two on the sides of the float).
The two vessels illegally entered and patrolled about 2 km deep inside Iranian waters, and the information recorded on their GPS device and is now in the hands of Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
The military said among the arrested were 9 men and one woman. They carried heavy weapons in their vessels.
US officials repeated calls for the release of prisoners will continue with Tehran.
So, they are prisoners, and unlike the White House tried to spin it, guests of honor?
Ironically, earlier we asked:
Is Iran going to wait until the end of the SOTU address before returning the 10 sailors?
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) January 12, 2016
We now have the answer:
BREAKING: Iranian Revolutionary Guards official says seized US sailors will not be released tonight or before State of the Union address.
— The Int'l Spectator (@intlspectator) January 12, 2016
(23 votes)
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It's the Zionists that are fuching us all. From what I've seen the actual Jews hate the Zionists too. Everyone does. But I guess being in the club must have perks coz all the powermonger-types seem to want to do their darndest to get in.
And who financed the Zionists and negotiated the Balfour declaration obligating the British to transfer Ottoman/Palastinian lands to the new State of Israel in exchange for the American entry into WWI against Germany back in 1916?
Follow the money trail to find your owners...
Americans have trouble doing that. We even reelect morons.
There are at least two factions for everything, right?
Shalom.
Not all jews are members of the jmafia. Not all zionist are jews.
Didju know that John Kerry's initials are JFK?
- John Forbes Kerry.
Yup... Either way he's JFK
John Forbes Kerry or John Forbes Kohn
http://judaism.about.com/od/jewishgenealogy/a/jewpas_kerry.htm
Im no lover of the tribe but its spelled yarmulke.
Look - you're engaging in an excercise in meaningless semantics. And as well all know, many here are decidedly anti-semantic.
Bullshit.
Jews is Eastern and Cental Europe got there after a long migration throughout Europe. Their bloodline might be diluted but they still carry their original roots in their DNA.
People in Central and Eastern Europe can visually recognize a Jew. It is because of physical characteristics not present in local population.
Khazaria calling on line one. You should answer.
Well, Kerry does look like a dick head - with no foreskin to cover up the ugly part, so, I guess he is Jewish.
Plus, he has his head up O'blammie's ass so far all you can see is the soles of his shoes.
Definitely Jewish.
Jewish scientists and geneologists always conveniently "discover" that any successful, rich, or brilliant person is actually Jewish. Usually via some maternal great grand parent, which is completely unprovable due to lax record keeping of the time. Very convenient indeed.
Gays do that too. They claim all sorts of actors are crypto gay, even Lincoln.
TPTB will do ANYTHING to stop oil from falling further (and putting Frackers into BK).
Standoff with Iran could shoot up oil again - though SA still probably won't "allow"
You misunderstand.
Remember when oil prices were skyrocketing the summer of 2008? There was alot of talk at that time about replacing the USD as the standard metric because of it's "instability". Crashing the USD price of oil is deliberate. There are many reasons, but as far as geopolitics are concerned, low prices put severe pressure on Russian & Iranian finances, while also preserving the USD as the standard metric for both oil (Petrodollar) and international trade.
The ezy reverse? A few salvos between Sauds and Iran, or disrupt Hormuz, and presto...$^.
TPTB don't give a rat's ass about the frackers. TPTB are not above driving the price down and then buying it all for themselves with freshly minted fiat.
Unless of course the Rockefellers have come to really care about the health of the planet's denizens...
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-rockefellers-reject-oil-1412980960
Bozo gave away the boats just in time for SOTU!
Late for SOTU speech ?
on-time for SOTU speech?
odds anyone?
https://twitter.com/howlatewasobama
it's an important event with millions of people watching, so I predict he'll be at least 90 minutes late
So I take it the Pentagon will be completely consistent and understand that the Iranians had to defend their territorial waters and blow the little boat away.
more like rescued .. boat broke down on a training exercise ... haha
"(T)raining exercise"--sounds like a cover story for something more clandestine.
Ha! This means Obozo may have to alter his plans to try to "crow" about his Iranian nuclear deal at the State of the Union tonight.
I didn't see the carrier, or the missles, I know what the news said .....
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2016/01/10/us-releases-secret-satellite-sur...
Are you kidding? Please tell me you are kidding.
When was the last time a hard fact prevented Obama from crowing about something? Why, he'll probably be bragging about how how he saved Americans so much money with his heath plan.
Good to see you back Boris!
As soon as Reagan was elected the Iranians could not get them back to the US fast enough, as they knew there would be hell to pay.
Who in this world is afraid of Obama? (other than people who cherish liberty of course...)
Yep.
Carter -> Reagan (hostages back)
Obama -> Trump (same?)
No.
Carter -> Obama (No respect for the US, Remember Chinese students laughing at Obama's Timmy Geithner?)
Regan -> Trump
Remember Obama bowing to the Chinese leader?
http://libertynews.com/2014/11/video-photo-gallery-obama-bows-to-chinese...
George W. Bush held hands with, bowed to, and kissed (!) the king of Saudi Arabia.
..and that's just the stuff that got released to the press.
I get a kick out Jeb Bush’s comment. So we enter another country illegally …… is he OK with Turkey Shooting down the Russian plane for basically doing the same thing? Hypocrisy beyond words.
and looks you know nothing about the deal was made...
Puhleeze, Reagan had nothing to do with the eventual return of the hostages. More likely the CIA/Shrubbins work.
Strictly Poppa Bush's back door deal with the Iranians.
It's not 'Poppa'...as in daddy...
But POPPY as in Heroin Dealer!
The US traded plane parts for the hostages. Iran needed them to fight the Iraqis.
Um, City Champ, are you sure the release didn't have more to do with Bush 41's secret deal with the Iranians--his treasonous deal--than with Iran's fear of Ronnie Ray-gunn (Just say no, yo, obviously you won't believe it). Iran-Contra much? Gosh, that Ollie North was just poured into that uniform, wasn't he? ;)
"Well, it was ONLY 444 days."
This time will only be 374. They will be released as Trump is sworn in.
It was only retaliation for the 1953 CIA coup
Better late than never.
Does Iran have a Guantánamo where they coould lock these "terrorists" up for 10 to 20 years?
I would give you an up vote for the humor but I think that would put too many points in my secret file and I do not want the government to expend any more resources on my wacky sense of humour
They weren't in body bags, although that was much closer than you think.It took that long
to get enough contril of the country,otherwise even the Mullahs faced counter revolution releasing
them..
Maybe hiding the worst of the worst SAVAK agents in the 'embassy' wasn't such a bright idea.
Kerry trying to look like a hero.
Iran already agreed to a release BEFORE Kerry purportedly make the request. He just eant's to look good. Fake.
A few disjointed thoughts on the events in Colognehttp://thesaker.is/a-few-disjointed-thoughts-on-the-events-in-cologne/
A Syria Iran SITREP will be posted shortly