And also think of this: if the world's navies can't shut down Somali pirates, how they hell they ever gonna win a war?
"US rescues Iranian crew from pirates" January 07, 2012
WASHINGTON - A US Navy destroyer has rescued an Iranian fishing boat that had been commandeered by suspected pirates just days after Tehran warned the United States to keep its warships out of the Persian Gulf.
Yeah, what a COINCIDENCE, huh?
Related: Huffing and Puffing in the Strait of Hormuz
I think someone is huffing and puffing our way, readers, and it sure does stink.
US forces flying off the guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd responded to a distress call from the Iranian vessel, the Al Molai, which had been held captive for more than 40 days, the Navy said yesterday. The Kidd was sailing in the Arabian Sea, after leaving the Persian Gulf, when it came to the sailors’ aid.
What were they waiting for?
A Navy team boarded the ship Thursday and detained 15 suspected Somali pirates. They had been holding the 13-member Iranian crew hostage and were using the boat as a mother ship for pirating operations in the Persian Gulf.
Amid escalating tensions with Tehran, the Obama administration reveled in delivering the news.
That damn near confirms my suspicions.
“This is an incredible story. This is a great story,’’ State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said, explaining that the very same American ships the Islamic republic protested for recently traveling through the Strait of Hormuz were responsible for the Iranian vessel’s recovery....
Meaning we should be there, right? Cui bono?
The episode occurred after a week of hostile rhetoric from Iranian leaders, including a statement by Iran’s Army chief that American vessels are no longer welcome in the Gulf. Iran also warned it could block the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway that carries to market much of the oil pumped in the Middle East.
The Iranian threats, which were brushed aside by the Obama administration, were in response to strong economic sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear enrichment program. Last week, President Obama signed into law new sanctions targeting Iran’s Central Bank and its ability to sell petroleum abroad.
According to the Navy, the Kidd was part of the USS John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group, which had recently left the Persian Gulf through the Strait and had moved into the northern Arabian Sea. A Navy search and seizure team was taken by helicopter from the Kidd to the Al Molai and met no resistance from the pirates as they surrendered.
Almost as if they were working together.
--more--"
"Rescue of fishermen by US welcomed" Associated Press / January 8, 2012
Iran’s government yesterday welcomed the US Navy’s rescue of 13 Iranian fishermen held by pirates, calling it a positive humanitarian gesture....
Too bad the U.S. doesn't make more of those.
--more--"
Deja vu:
"US rescues Iranians at sea, assails nuke activity" by Robert Burns and Bradley Klapper Associated Press / January 10, 2012
WASHINGTON—A U.S. Coast Guard cutter rescued six Iranian mariners from a vessel in distress in the Persian Gulf, the second such incident in a week of tension punctuated by the Islamic republic's death sentence to a young Iranian-American man and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's sharp criticism Tuesday of Tehran's uranium enrichment activity.
The rescue was another reminder of U.S. efforts to demonstrate the humanitarian value of its naval presence in the Gulf, a strategic waterway that the Iranian government has threatened to close in retaliation for international sanctions over its nuclear program -- a dispute which only shows signs of escalation.
Yup, this is JUST TOO COINCIDENTAL, folks!
Once more I am forced to conclude that my "news" is a STAGED and SCRIPTED PRODUCTION!
On Tuesday, Clinton condemned Iran for enriching uranium at an underground bunker to a level that can be upgraded more quickly for use in a nuclear weapon than the nation's main stockpile. She said Tehran was breaking its international obligations and demonstrating a "blatant disregard for its responsibilities."
Did you just hear an annoying buzz?
Washington and Tehran are also at odds over an Iranian court's death sentence Monday for Amir Hekmati, a 28-year-old former military translator who was born in Arizona and graduated from high school in Michigan. Iran says he is a CIA spy....
That was it from my printed Globe.
Last Thursday, the U.S. Navy rescued 13 Iranian fishermen who had been held captive by pirates in the northern Arabian Sea, just outside the Gulf, for more than 40 days. That happened just days after Tehran warned the United States to keep its warships out of the Gulf. The fishermen were sent on their way and the 15 pirates were taken aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis.
Tuesday's rescue was the fifth time in 14 months that American naval forces have aided Iranians at sea, according to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. The biggest was on Feb. 3, 2011 when the guided-missile cruiser USS Cape St. George provided assistance to 16 Iranian mariners on a fishing vessel in the Gulf of Oman....
--more--"