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WP: Two U.S. Navy boats in Iranian custody but crew will be returned ‘promptly’

JMS

By JMS
in The Tailgate

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JMS

JMS

Posted
Posted

Two Ran out of gas or had mechanical problems, at the same time on the same trip?  And why are they sailing riverines in the gulf 12 miles off the coast of Iran anyway?

 

This entire story smells fishy to me..

 

also Bahrain isn't anywhere near Iran.

map-uae.jpg

 

Here is what a Riverine looks like.

Riverine_Squadron_2_Iraq_2007.jpg

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/01/12/iran-captures-two-u-s-navy-boats-but-will-return-crew-soon/

                                          ​

 


 

Two U.S. Navy boats in Iranian custody but crew will be returned ‘promptly’

 

Two small U.S. Navy vessels appear to be in Iranian custody but their crews will be released promptly, the Pentagon confirmed Tuesday.

Two U.S. naval craft were en route from Kuwait to Bahrain when they disappeared from the Navy’s scopes. The incident marks the latest run-in between Iranian and U.S. crews. In late December, Iranian gunboats fired unguided missiles almost a 1,000 yards away from the aircraft carrier the U.S.S. Harry S. Truman.

A U.S. official said that the boats were small riverine variants and may have ran out of gas or had mechanical issues and were believed to have been within 12 nautical miles of Iran when they broke down.

The U.S. government has been in communication with Iranian authorities, according to a senior defense official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence issues.

“We have received assurances the sailors will promptly be allowed to continue their journey,” the official said.

In recent weeks, U.S. lawmakers have called for increase sanctions on Iran after the country tested two ballistic missiles in recent months. Since the tests, President Hassan Rouhani vowed to expand the country’s ballistic missile program.

                                                                 ​

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visionary

visionary

Posted
Posted

I guess they're keeping the boats, weapons, and tech....

(assuming they return the sailors and don't use them as hostages)

The timing is interesting, with possible lifting of sanctions on Iran coming up, could be they want some extra leverage.

Or possibly these could be hardliners trying to scuttle the deal or make an internal power play.

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visionary

visionary

Posted
Posted

https://twitter.com/jimsciutto

Sr. Admin. Official tells CNN nothing to indicate anything hostile on part of Iran in detention of US sailors
5:11 PM

 
https://twitter.com/GhorbaniSadegh

Fars: American boats were armed with 3 heavy guns, patrolled about 2 km inside Iran's territorial waters before being detained.
4:33 PM
 
An informed source says detainees are 9 men & a woman.
4:46 PM

 

https://twitter.com/SkyNewsBreak

Update - U.S. official: Iran's Foreign Minister has assured U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry sailors in custody will be released promptly
5:24 PM
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visionary

visionary

Posted
Posted

These are the kinds of boats which special forces use to go up rivers or make clandestine landings. What the hell where they doing "patrolling" 2 km's from Iran's shore? We have boots on the ground in Iran?? Why?

That's the Iranian version of events.

 

Remember Iran also fired missiles near one of our ships recently as well and we had to release footage of it to show what actually happened.

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/01/09/us-navy-reveals-video-of-iran-firing-rockets-near-warships-in-december.html

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visionary

visionary

Posted
Posted

http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2016/01/12/two-navy-boats-in-iranian-custody.html?via=twitter_page

Iran to Keep U.S. Sailors for Another Day

 

Ten U.S. sailors taken into Iranian custody on Tuesday will be held through Wednesday, senior defense officials tell The Daily Beast.

 

Two U.S. Navy boats in the Persian Gulf were seized by Iran when the country said the vessels entered their territorial waters.  The U.S. military could not say whether Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps naval forces were involved or another Iranian naval unit. The Pentagon also could not say whether a warning shot was fired or how exactly the Iranians took custody of the sailors.

 

The incident began Tuesday afternoon when the U.S. military lost contact with two Riverine boats and sought to contact them. Defense officials said one boat suffered a mechanical failure, which may have included navigation.

 

The Pentagon said the Iranians promised to allow them to continue the travel from Kuwait to Bahrain, "promptly" but could not say when that could happen. The sailors are now on Farsi Island, according to defense officials.

 

Secretary of State John Kerry made a call to his Iranian counterpart, who gave assurance that the issue would be resolved in short order.

 

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told CNN: "Our sailors are safe."

 

 

https://twitter.com/AliR_Ahmadi

US off'l to CNN: US ship being in Iran "not a hostile act by Iran", Sailors safe, prudent to return them 2morrow as its 2am & not safe.
5:37 PM
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JMS

JMS

Posted
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Posted

That's the Iranian version of events.

You mean the Iranians are claiming these boats were involved in an incursion into their territorial waters?

And they are giving them back right away anyway? Amazing.

Makes no sense what so ever that (1) these two boats were just patrolling so close to Iranian shore. (2) That they were sailing to Bahrain from Kuwait and both got engine trouble.

My BS meter is going into the red..

You would use these little boats to try to not be picked up on Iranian radar and get in and out of shore.

You wouldn't use them to patrol so close to Iranians shore because unless the Iranians come out in a Boston Whaler your patrol boats are going to be out matched.. besides what the hell do we care if Iranian shipping traverses two km's off their own shore? Why are we patrolling that?

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visionary

visionary

Posted
Posted

https://twitter.com/GhorbaniSadegh

Breaking: IRGC confirms seizure of American boats, saying that the crew are "sound, kept in a proper place & treated with Islamic manner."
5:44 PM

 

      

https://twitter.com/cerenomri/

Or alternatively, just like in every other case from last few months, Americans seized + held for political reason
5:44 PM

 

       

It will be interesting to see if Iran returns the boats and reportedly confiscated equipment and how soon the sailors are let go.  

Should be evident by that if they're being friendly and helpful like the admin is saying or if something else is going on by either side,

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Larry

Larry

Posted
Posted

These are the kinds of boats which go up rivers or make clandestine landings. What the hell where they doing "patrolling" 2 km's from Iran's shore?

The claim (from Iran) is that they were 2km inside Iran's waters. (Which, in a lot of cases, means "2km inside the waters that we claim to have.")

 

Still.  Gotta say I'm surprised that the US doesn't have an AWACS (maybe a good application for an AWACS blimp?), on permanent duty over the Persian Gulf, maintaining 24-7 tracking on every ship and aircraft in the Gulf. 

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Renegade7

Renegade7

Posted
Posted

This ain't pretty, and I don't feel we'll ever get the full story on how this really went down. I due whole-heartedly believe that if we didn't have the nuclear deal and this happened, we'd be talking months or years, not days or hours, before getting these soldiers back.

A lot of people are going to use this against Obama, but at the end of the day, I still believe a lot of that deal was really about making it so even if we were aren't best friends, we could at least be amicable again. It's an ugly situation to be in the middle of, but I don't feel being buddy buddy with Saudi Arabia (Sunni) and having Iran (Shia) in our Axis of Evil category was ever going to allow us a chance to get them to be amicable with each other as well.

Maybe one of these days we'll grow the balls to stand up to Isreal (all wishful thinking), but gotta start somewhere. Of course, that's all just my opinion.

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visionary

visionary

Posted
Posted

https://twitter.com/GhorbaniSadeg

Com of IRGC navy says US soldiers arrested "without much resistance," but US navy force "showed some unprofessional acts for about 40 mins."
12:39 AM

 

Breaking: Commander of IRGC Navy confirms @JohnKerry's call w @JZarif, saying that the force waiting 4 further order about American troops.
12:43 AM

 

Breaking: Com of IRGC Navy says reports about possibility of "prompt release" of US troops is "speculations, I can neither confirm nor deny."
12:47 AM

 

Brkng: Com of IRGC Navy says the troops will b questioned,"if we conclude that their breach was aimed at gathering info,we'll act properly."
12:52 AM

 

Brkng: Com of IRGC Navy says Zarif took a strong position,"reminded 2 Kerry that American troops were in our waters & US should apologies."
12:57 AM

 

 

So...they don't sound all that safe....

https://twitter.com/SkyNewsBreak

Reuters: Iran's revolutionary guards spokesman says U.S. sailors being interrogated after two vessels strayed into Iranian waters yesterday

1:10 AM

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JMS

JMS

Posted
  • Author
Posted

The claim (from Iran) is that they were 2km inside Iran's waters. (Which, in a lot of cases, means "2km inside the waters that we claim to have.")

 

Still.  Gotta say I'm surprised that the US doesn't have an AWACS (maybe a good application for an AWACS blimp?), on permanent duty over the Persian Gulf, maintaining 24-7 tracking on every ship and aircraft in the Gulf. 

 

Seems like we don't really have all the information the information we do have seems to change from article to article;  but they did say the navy was tracking these boats on radar until just before they were captured.

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visionary

visionary

Posted
Posted

I wonder why the administration said that the sailors were safe and they would be released around 2 am. 

The way they made it sound as if Iran was neighborly offering the sailors a helping hand seems pretty different from what we've been hearing from Iran so far.

 

 

Although the incident does remind me of this

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/apr/11/china.usa

US says sorry, China to free crew
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visionary

visionary

Posted
Posted

https://twitter.com/AFP

BREAKING: 'Broken' navigation system led US sailors into Iranian territory: Iran navy
2:42 AM

 

https://twitter.com/SkyNewsBreak

Update - AP: Iranian official says U.S. sailors detained by Tehran after boats drifted into Iranian waters expected to be released today
2:55 AM

 

https://twitter.com/abasinfo

BREAKING: Iran's IRGC navy commander Fadavi: US sailors likely to be released soon.

2:50 AM

 

 

Seems as if things are mostly turning out alright in the end.

I wonder what prompted the much more conciliatory language from Iran the past half hour or so.

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skinsmarydu

skinsmarydu

Posted
Posted

I wonder why the administration said that the sailors were safe and they would be released around 2 am. 

The way they made it sound as if Iran was neighborly offering the sailors a helping hand seems pretty different from what we've been hearing from Iran so far.

They have to make it seem as reasonable as possible. Being ex-Navy, I'm anxiously awaiting their release.
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