Pentagon Releases Video of Iranian Boats Confronting US Warships

First, why would the US NAVY release such a vid at all? After all it shows them as vulnerable to civilian pranks/punks! So obviously it's not to bolster the national pride, right!? Right. It is to make you all ANGRY, that is why. Fearful and ANGRY and defaced.

So with this in mind, do you not wonder what the motive is from the Pentagon? Do you think they just wanted to share their info, for the niceness of it? Before you adress this issue you should not start a rant about how evil and crooked the Iranians are. You should, in this case, not judge the contents of the video before pondering the motives of its release.

Provocations are pretty common in situations like these. Think of the cold war for god's sake. However, the Iranians are not stupid! and there are some interconnected reasons that make me sceptical to the radio threat and overall conduct of the speedy Iranians:

The crew would have to be, in effect, suicide bombers. And suicide bombers dont go fishing like that, they strike, or they do not strike. If they strike, they don't radio that information in advance to the target. The Iranians would know very well that such a verbal threat, in such close vicinity, would trigger a defense reaction and, in effect, WAR. Now, when you instigate such a plan, a war-triggering operation, one does not cross the line so vastly without success. You do not bring a knife to a gunfight, unless you plan to get shot!

Now, if these Iranians were perfectly happy with exploding (the crewmen). And perfectly happy with starting a war with U.S.A/West because of it, they WOULD NEVER do it half arsed!

Some of you point out that the U.S navy commanders show great restraint, which proves my point. Why would these cunning Persians come WAY to close (as if the WANTED to be killed), but still scurry away moments later, instead of just setting ramming course and closing the deal? I mean the radio remark by itself would by the Iranians be a clear call for countermeasures from the U.S ships! The radio call would destroy their cunning persian trick; to blame the U.S for the aggression! So they could just as well "close the deal".

To sum up:

I believe the possible Iranians NOT to be "ready to die for Alllah".

The video MAY represent a form of provocation on the Iranian side, but as said, this is no biggie, sans the (fake) radio bit.

the boats were definetely not loaded with weapons.

The mission of the speedboats was obviously not to "be blown up" by U.S force.

This doeas not leave out foul play on the Iran side, but it certainly implies foul play on the U.S side.

reply to post by kaferwerks


So you beleive people are born without freedom?
You have to EARN freedom? Did i hear your right?
Seriously....sir. That is the wrong idea of what freedom is. Freedom only becomes something you earn when it is being taken away from you....the only freedom you have to earn in this country is economic freedom. That is what i am trying to accomplish because only then will i be able to fight injustice to the core. Who are you to set the bar for being a patriot? You fought in wars for policitcal purposes....if you did some good on your own while you were wherever you were (freed slaves, saved lives, disobeyed direct orders to bomb civilians etc....etc.) then i obviously have the higest respect for you. I already do....even if its just for doing the job right but dont sit there and tell me that im not a patriot. I am subdued and im tired of it....but this was a new realization. All those words are passionate and i mean them 100% from the deepest cockles of my heart and soul and to accomplish the goal i forsee for the human race will take a force stronger than I. Yet to even begin to be able to actively fight i have to get off the grid first and the only way to do that is to get out of debt. Voting??
You think VOTING MATTERS?? HA!!!!
Just ask the people at Blackboxvoting.org if the voting system works.....its as simple as the machines being hacked and the memory cards being manipulated to spit out different results than what info was inputed. THats a problem we all should be aware of.....corporation and government have united. THat fact gets us closer and closer to a sort of twisted americanized fascism every day. Revolutions were started on less.....all for freedom because the people saw that if they allowed status quo to continue the futures of their children are in peril.
It might be too late though which is why i mentioned leaving....however, when the time comes i know what side i will be on. DO YOU! Do you all know what side you will be on?

Iran says US video was fabricated

Pure propaganda. What a timing at the time Bush jr. is doing his round in the middle east and trying to push the international community more and more against Iran. Decievement

Originally posted by mentalmidget
If what has been accused actually took place, a "certain" amount of force would have been justified, yet the U.S. Navy's only response was to "tell on them". Seems very "un-military-like". Again, from a laymen's standpoint. Thanks.

Even warning shots are serious, and those in the boats would not really understand whether they were warning shorts or if they were actually shooting at them. If they thought they were being shot at then this whole thing would escalate into something the navy really didn’t want to happen.

The fact that the boats were tracked and would have been blown out of the water if they approached at a set distance is enough for me. I’m not sure what you are looking for with all this.

reply to post by yahn goodey


It's called 'rules of engagement' - the captain of a US warship has a list of what he can do, and what has to happen first. In this case the rules of engagement are almost certainly classified secret or higher. This is because the bad guys shouldn't know what you're going to do to them - they might be ready for you.

It's probable that the commander was not allowed to respond in the way we wish he had done. It seems that everyone but the poor bastards on the firing line has a voice in writing ROEs - Condi Rice is probably there urging us not to defend the freedom of the seas, the Commander-in-Chief has to worry about his poll results, and the a-holes who control Congress will gripe no matter what happens.

On another track, I wasn't aware the Phalanx system could be depressed low enough to engage surface targets reliably. As I recall, the last time we had to deal with the Persians (during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s), the US Army had to come in with attack helicopters to engage the speedboats. That worked. We'll probably have to go back to something similar before this ends, because Iran has too many buddies in Congress for us to act decisively before it comes to protracted hostilities.

The near-clash occurred over the weekend in the Strait of Hormuz. On the U.S.-released recording, a voice can be heard saying to the Americans, "I am coming to you. You will explode after a few minutes."

The Navy never said specifically where the voices came from, but many were left with the impression they had come from the speedboats because of the way the Navy footage was edited.

Today, the spokesperson for the U.S. admiral in charge of the Fifth Fleet clarified to ABC News that the threat may have come from the Iranian boats, or it may have come from somewhere else.

We're saying that we cannot make a direct connection to the boats there," said the spokesperson. "It could have come from the shore, from another ship passing by. However, it happened in the middle of all the very unusual activity, so as we assess the information and situation, we still put it in the total aggregate of what happened Sunday morning. I guess we're not saying that it absolutely came from the boats, but we're not saying it absolutely didn't."

Source:
abcnews.go.com...

Originally posted by marg6043
Actually the only people that should be in the waters of the Persian gulf should be the indigenous population of the area, you know, Iranians, Kuwaitis, Arabs . . . Any other Warships are actually the provocateurs.

Can you back that up with the relevant treaties ownership claims? What about LOST, does it apply? Do you even know, or are you just talking out of your rear?

Originally posted by marg6043
Actually with all the warships that US have in the area it does looks like US invasion of even the international waters surrounding the Persian gulf not matter what.

Please cite the regulation that states that international waters surrounding the Persian gulf are closed to U.S. warships.

Originally posted by Souljah
And what harm would these speedboats do exactly to a cruiser, a destroyer and a frigate?

With explosives, they could possibly sink it.

Originally posted by Souljah
Before they would get any closer (if they wanted to blow-up), they would be hit with missiles, guns, machine guns, helicopters - you name it!

I guess you don't know much about naval armament, but you actually have to fire it. The United States showed logical restraint here and didn't fire on them, thankfully, possibly preventing a war.

Originally posted by Souljah
If you ask me, the U.S. fleet was dangerously close to Iranian territorial waters - or perhaps was actually already inside them - and the only response was to send a few speedboats to check up the situation.

Really, they were inside or "dangerous close" to Iranian "territorial waters?" Can you back this up with anything?

Originally posted by Souljah
Who knows. So who is actually provoking here - several thousands tonns of american ships sailing very close to Iranian coast?

Very close?

Originally posted by Souljah
Or few speedboats, which appear to not be armed at all and look more like police boats?

Yeah, a speed boat that threatens to come at you and blow you up and could contain explosives doesn't look threatening.

There is a new video of Iran's 'side' of the story. Their production shows an Iranian Sailor ID'ing themselves and asking the US Navy to ID. The US Navy is heard to reply.

cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com...


The question is that in the earlier released US Navy clip the sailor is heard broadcasting - to the Iranians - that their oncoming boats are of unknown origin...

Is this standard procedure by the US Navy to tell oncoming ships who have already ID that they will be fired upon - in part because they are unknown?

Doubt most of the information that comes from the owners of that pentagon-group. They're literally some of the worst people on earth. We're not made to believe everything they tell us (and whatever they show us).

voice on the tape could have come from the shore or from another ship

from Prisonplanet (sorry:-))
Just two days after the U.S. Navy released the eerie video of Iranian speedboats swarming around American warships, which featured a chilling threat in English, the Navy is saying that the voice on the tape could have come from the shore or from another ship.

The near-clash occurred over the weekend in the Strait of Hormuz. On the U.S.-released recording, a voice can be heard saying to the Americans, "I am coming to you. You will explode after a few minutes."

The Navy never said specifically where the voices came from, but many were left with the impression they had come from the speedboats because of the way the Navy footage was edited.

Today, the spokesperson for the U.S. admiral in charge of the Fifth Fleet clarified to ABC News that the threat may have come from the Iranian boats, or it may have come from somewhere else.

We're saying that we cannot make a direct connection to the boats there,"......

So here we go. Thats what i meant my post before. Pictures (Film) that could be from anywhere, voices that are from somewhere.. This is made up! Nothing that i would hang in for!

reply to post by TMFAP

oops, dopuble post. you got it from a better source, anyway, that makes two of that "reuters" information.

[edit on 11/1/2008 by rxnnxs]

news.bbc.co.uk...

The voice on a Pentagon tape could instead have come from another ship in the area or a transmitter on land, senior US Navy sources told the BBC.

and

Pentagon officials said the voice heard in the video clip is not directly traceable to the Iranian military, but could still have come from a high quality radio on one of the small boats, the paper reported.

--


no proof

reply to post by GUICE2


First of all...No I do not believe that your freedom is free. You (as well as I and everyone else in this country) OWE a debt of gratitude to the great people that made this happen. You are born endebted to those that made this happen. And I dont mean legally.

You scoff at voting...Does it work? In an honest society it does. More to the point though, it is about being involved. If you aren't involved you don't have the right to bitch about what is or is not being done.

You still say that you are a patriot...I still ask what have you done to earn the title? I can call myself a doctor. Well, I have every intention of going to medical school. I just have to get off of my lazy ass and apply myself. The excuse that you have to "get off of the grid" and get out of debt is weak man. To have a title like that...you need to earn it. Having good intentions doesnt make things happen. Taking action does.

What is it that you believe this country owes you? What have done done to make it a better place to live? One man can make a difference. You say it can't. I say it can. That right there is the difference between a patriot and a weak opportunist that will jump on the shoulders of men far greater than they and take credit for deeds done. Am I a patriot?...I am a citizen of the United States of America. I do vote...I also volunteer and spend my free time w/ troubled teens and teach them that you dont have to rob and steal. You have to earn the things you want. I am an active part of my community and TRY to make it a better place for my children. Is that a Patriot? I don't know. By your definition just thinking about it makes me one...so I guess I am.

You speak of revolution and chosing sides. You say that you know what side you are on. Do I?...NO. If it comes to chosing sides again in this country we have both lost. So don't fool yourself with the romantic dreams that you are Paul Revere and a patriot.

Here is an idea. Instead of complaining about the state of things and sitting on your couch. Pick one issue. No matter how small and try to change it. Help someone fix something. If you fail...So be it! You tried. Now you have all the right in the world to complain. The key, Guice, is in your actions. I believe that you do not understand what I mean by earning someone's freedom. I think that is our disconnect. We are totally different people...you and I. I know many people who are just like the way you presented yourself here. People like to talk and to hear themselves do it. They have these thoughts that if they disagree with the government that they are patriots. That's ok. You have the right to do that in this country because your forefathers earned that right for you.

Dont you think this is enough derailing of this thread? If you want to continue this discussion let's do it w/ U2U so everyone doesnt have to get sidetracked.

Kafer



[edit on 11-1-2008 by kaferwerks]

Yes...and I'm sure the US wouldn't do the same in their home waters. Let's not forget who's in whos territory.

Originally posted by Tomis_Nexis
Yes...and I'm sure the US wouldn't do the same in their home waters. Let's not forget who's in whos territory.

The U.S. would not send fast patrol boats out into a formation of foreign military ships, darting in and out in a threatening manner.

Let's not forget where this occurred too. What reason would a foreign military have to send a flotilla close to our shores? None.

What reason does the U.S. have to send a floatilla through that straight? Lots of reasons. Those ships are provide security for other U.S. and foreign ships in the area and make port calls to our allies in the area. Those ships relieve other ships that were on duty in the same area.

If everyone in the area had a history of being peaceful people, which the Iranians certainly don't, we might not need to have those ships there. Back in the eighties, Iran was indescrimantly mining the straight and attacking oil tankers in the area. They paid for that then and they'll pay for it again if they start that crap again.

who do you guys really think you are!

Di you know what this meant.......................I think not. Or maybe thats why it was deleted.

Fellow ATSrs may i say we are being moderated by people who dont like the truth.

our moderators dont print the truth thays one fact we have I dont trust them

reply to post by Sinsear


An update today: Pentagon releases 30 minute video of entire confrontation

The Pentagon released video Friday it says depicts the entire confrontation last Sunday between U.S. and Iranian naval forces in the Persian Gulf.

It chronicles crew members communicating with each other on the Hopper, as well as U.S. crew on the other two ships in the convoy. And as the incident escalated, sailors can be heard growing more agitated about how fast and close the small boats were moving near the ships.

The Pentagon released the entire video of the event after days of fielding questions about the origin of a voice on the initial video that warns in English: "I am coming to you" and then, "You will explode after ... minutes."

Also from source:

This image released by the US Navy Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008, and shot Sunday, Jan. 6 from the bridge of the destroyer USS Hopper, shows a small blue boat, alleged to be Iranian, purportedly racing near the wake of U.S. Navy ships in the Persian Gulf. The incident, which President George W. Bush denounced Tuesday as a "provocative act," was videotaped by a crew member on the bridge of the destroyer USS Hopper, one of the three ships that faced down five Iranian boats in a flare-up early Sunday. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy)

reply to post by Xtrozero


Simply sharing an opinion and point of view is all. Even if I had a desire for a particular outcome, it would never be realized, thus adding to the frustration.

How many times a day do you think that similar provocations happen between the US military and just about any number of countries that may or may not be threatened by are war making abilities, if not already being occupied by our military, that never reach the press? This is nothing more than propaganda/war mongering. A common trait of this administration. It's ashame that so many are still unable to see it.
(And I'm not referring to you, specifically.)

In unrelated news the Pentagon still has yet to release ANY video of the Pentagon attack on September 11th. Sources close the the Man say that they are finishing the special features and hope to add full 7.1 surround sound to the film before it's release.

The Pentagon apologizes for the long time it has taken them to release just one of the dozens of videos which will fully support the Official Story and unite more Americans simply by showing us all once and for all that it was in fact a commercial airliner that hit the Pentagon on that day in US history.

We can finally stop believing in "silly conspiracy theories".

Full 45 minute video

Warning, this is boring. No wonder they made a short version.

Seriously, the guy calling the US ship in the Iranian video doesn't sound or look like the brightest cookie in the jar. He kept calling the ship without having a point. It's frightning to see that a war could be started by, basically, a complete idiot in a boat.

[edit on 12-1-2008 by Netstriker]