Iran Releases Captured US Sailors After Questioning, Apology
On Tuesday evening, just prior to President Obama’s last State of the Union address, a geopolitical black swan landed on Farsi Island.
Ten US sailors and two US Navy boats were seized by Iran when they purportedly entered Iranian waters “illegally.”
The timing couldn’t have been worse.
Over the past several weeks, Obama has again come under fire for a “soft” approach to Iran after the IRGC conducted a live-fire rocket test some 1,500 yards from a US aircraft carrier in the Strait of Hormuz. That incident led directly to calls from GOP lawmakers to slap Tehran with fresh sanctions in connection with Iran’s test-firing of two next gen surface-to-surface missiles.
On the morning the new sanctions were set to be announced, the administration got cold feet and decided the US needed “more time” to study the measures. For Republicans, the abrupt 180 was further evidence that The White House is hopelessly inept in its dealings with what the GOP still deems a pariah state.
Of course the reason the administration shied away from announcing new sanctions is that the old sanctions haven’t been lifted yet. That is, the ink on the nuclear accord is barely dry and implementation is imminent. Angering Tehran would risk undermining the whole deal and that, in turn, would jeopardize an important part of Obama’s legacy.
Thus, the President had an impossibly difficult decision to make on Tuesday evening: mention the sailors and risk escalating the conflict and turning it into a protracted spat that could both derail the nuclear deal and imperil US citizens, or don’t mention the sailors and risk looking ridiculous by discussing “improvements” in relations with Tehran just as everyone in the chamber (not to mention the millions watching at home) wondered what’s to come of the ten hostages being held on Farsi.
The President chose not to mention the incident, but nevertheless, the Ayatollah had pulled of a rather epic propaganda coup. Effectively the IRGC clouded the President’s final address to the nation and it now appears there will be no repercussions.
On Wednesday both Iranian and US officials confirmed that all ten of the sailors have been released. The sailors departed the Iranian base on Farsi Island at 0843 GMT on the same boats that brought them there, a statement from the Navy said. “There are no indications the sailors were harmed,” the Pentagon added.
Iran says the decision to free the sailors was based on a determination that they’re incursion into Iranian waters wasn’t intentional.
Iranian television aired the following images:
"There appeared to be a bit of equivocation from Iran earlier Wednesday, with Iranian officials saying talk of an imminent release was 'speculation'", The Washington Post notes, adding that "an Iranian Revolutionary Guard spokesman, General Ramezan Sharif, indicated that the Iran’s next move and its timing will be determined by an investigation."
After questioning the group, the IRGC determined that a "malfunctioning navigation device" was the cause of the "intrusion."
Here's the official word from Fars: “Following technical and operational investigations and in interaction with relevant political and national security bodies of the country and after it became clear that the US combat vessels’ illegal entry into the Islamic Republic of Iran’s waters was the result of an unpurpuseful [sic] action and a mistake and after they extended an apology, the decision was made to release them."
Right. In reality, there's no telling why the sailors were in Iranian waters - maybe it was a "mistake" or maybe not. We'll never know. What we do know is that Iran has once again embarrassed the Obama administration and this time not by "testing" a rocket or two near an aircraft carrier or launching a ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear payload to Israel, but by actually capturing US soldiers and vessels. Expect the calls to get (much) louder from Republicans for new sanctions and a rethinking of The White House's relationship with Obama's new "friends" in Tehran.
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It is actually pretty easy to fool GPS. Just do a search of how to build and distribute transmitters that can easily overpower the low watt signals from a satellite...
Ah Oh, guess that raises my score on the list by a few points....
"The Iranians can make American GPS read what they want, can't they." ?
Data from the navigation satellites has 2 parts. Military & civillian.
The civillian side of the satellite xmission - probably.
The military side - I would have to see it to believe it.
I worked with the original 12 bird SatNav system back in '72 after the USN declassified PART of the data for commercial use. Accuracy back then was +/- 10 meters.
Iran would have to be using a supercomputer to crack it (the Mil side) with Brute Force. Ain't gonna happen in real-time IMO.
well, they aren't SEALs.
Baldie is wearing a flight suit. Are those flying boats?
Whatever we read in the USSA mass media, we can assume is wrong or mis represented.
Blondie seems to be watching CNN on the monitor.
Flight suit better than fugly Navy camo.
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/...
.http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2015/09/20/ifrv-flame-resistant-...
NEWS
Sailors test flight suit for all hands, new coveralls
By Lance M. Bacon, Staff writer
Sep 20, 2015
Those sailors.......Lucy...yo got sum expaining to do....
I am sorry but Navigation is 101 in navy school....
Navigation isn't big in Obama Navy. Color coordination and proper use of gender pronouns are mission critical, however.
It surprises me that more crewpersons are not wearing hijab in the photographs released.
Not enough chador to go around I guess.
that's the difference between iran and the usa. you don't see iranian gunboats in us waters "accidentally" or not. the usa claims what, a 200 mile stretch of ocean? what does iran get 200 feet?
http://www.reuters.com/article/iran-usa-navy-idUSL5N0LD0TB20140208
In Washington, a U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, cast doubt on any claims that the Iranian ships were approaching U.S. maritime borders...
The use of the word 'approaching' is a dead give away. It means the Iranians were in international waters, not in US waters. How dare the Iranians travel in international waters!
The Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman are barely 200 miles wide. Considering all the international oil tankers sailing through they cannot control all of those waters. Nor do they need to as they control the Straight of Hormuz which is less than 50 miles wide. And Iran cannot really do much patrolling in international waters as they are considered widely by the world a belligerent state. Threaten to blow up countries and no state will take kindly to them cruising of their shores no matter who you or I think is in the "right".
Iran is the belligerent state? holy fuck that's some fucked up shit right there.
Iran is considered a belligerent state by most of the world. That is a fact. As I said, despite what you or I think.
you consider israel and usa propaganda "most of the world"?
Geez do I have to write like a third grader for you to understand? Good, bad, true, not true, indifferent or propaganda most of the world considers them to be belligerent. A verifiable fact.
fuck off asshole.
No, fuck you in the ass with a broken broomstick.
More world third grader is taught critical thinking..I guess not there
media dumb you down much?
Iran has not started any war in over 200 years
Wow, how many countries have they invaded?
Last I heard they were countering Zionist Imperialism in Syria, and probably helping the Houthis undercover in Yemen, that's about it. Oh, and back-stopping an invasion of Lebanon by the Zionistas.
And, unlike the Zionists, they signed the NNPT.
It's awfully narrow. I've flown over it many times. It's also jam-packed with boats, ships, boats, ships...
I know it's narrow. If the usa sat where iran is they would claim the whole fucking thing. What am I talking about? The usa claims the whole fucking thing anyway.
Don't forget all the poop coming out of Dubai.
Why is everything painted green/black camo? & why's the camo they're wearing also green?
it matches the oily water of the persian gulf, lulz
Ever peruse the men's clothing racks at Walmart?
In a dog zebra status with lights out, these things are nearly invisible to the naked eye at night.
Fucking Bullshit.
False flag attempt to have 14 sailors murdered during the US State of the Union, averted.
Book deals are coming.
Hollyweird docu-drama in the works.
An Israeli submarine was probably just seconds away from firing a torpedo at the American boats as soon as they entered Iran waters.
10+4=14?
Exactly. Bullshit-barry's enemies trying to embarras him before his SOTU blather.
Or worse, Bullshit-barry partaking in another round of self-mutilation at the expense of the country before another round of his blather-spew.
Obma kept them safe. Too bad the women-warrior failed at exerting her rights and wore the Burqa.
if you were her you would too. when in rome mother fucker.
I notice the men kept her in a corner, surrounded. Iranians would have to go thru them to get her. She should not have been there, no place for a chick.
This happens all the time. That small boat breaks fucking constantly.
You haven't lived until you're a 22 year old ensign a few months out of NROTC, leading 7 sailors who are all under 21 and 2 chiefs who are about 30 years old. Your small boat breaks in the middle of the Persian Gulf and you can't see the ship and the radio is broken. FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC.
And not only that, half the political establishment of your country is hoping to christ you become a martyr.
like a geo-political chess piece bobbing up and down.
I'd say one of those sailors needs to focus on the Physical Readiness Test (PRT)
Nonsense! At least one crew member needs to be able to serve as a HFD (human flotation device).
What is the military designation of these boats?
Too small for WW2 PT boats. Don't look like the CG boats I used to put electronics on.
They're riverine boats. RPBs. It was deployed by a ship. There's no way they made it to the middle of the Gulf in that.
Oh bullshit.
They were there quite on purpose.
As if both boats broke down at the exact same moment.
So how did they get home..just start the boats up and go...its a miracle I tells ya...it works now..
well that was (thankfully) anti-climactic...
Iran got the ransom 150 billion we got these 10 fuck ups- the sailors were Iran's: get the 150 billion insurance policy..easy if you think back to the Iran embassy crisis under old peanut carter. Iran views Obuma as carter's black moronic bastard son.
Shore Leave!
Does Swift Boat Kerry get another Purple Heart out of this deal some how??
He's receiving it today.
Tomorrow he plans to run out the White House entrance, and throw his new medal back over the fence in a display of anti-war sentiment.
Damn near every one of you commenters bought right into the "in Iranian waters" assumption. The article states "purportedly in Iranian waters" AND if you believe everything Iranian media says then you must still be wet behind the ears.