BREAKING: Iran Forces Seize US Cargo Ship With 34 People On Board

Found this interesting tidbit over in the zerohedge comments section:

...any military operation against Iran will likely be very unpopular around the world and require the proper international context— both to ensure the logistical support the operation would require and to minimize the blowback from it. The best way to minimize international opprobrium and maximize support (however, grudging or covert) is to strike only when there is a widespread conviction that the Iranians were given but then rejected a superb offer—one so good that only a regime determined to acquire nuclear weapons and acquire them for the wrong reasons would turn it down. Under those circumstances, the United States (or Israel) could portray its operations as taken in sorrow, not anger, and at least some in the international community would conclude that the Iranians “brought it on themselves” by refusing a very good deal.

You can find this excerpt on page 39 of The Brookings Institution's "Which Path to Persia? Options for a New American Strategy Toward Iran"

Somthing does not add up here .

Maybe the US gave into Israels whiny Benjamin Netanyahu.



And needed a way out of the talks.

Sounds like a set up to me !

Israelis mouth piece jpost is saying there were no Amercans on board, contrary to Saudi reports

Iranian naval forces have engaged a commercial ship in the Arabian Gulf.

The ship is not a US-owned vessel and is not believed to be carrying American sailors, though Saudi-owned Al Arabiya reported earlier on Tuesday that 34 US military personnel were aboard the craft.

www.jpost.com...

originally posted by: intrptr

Al Arabiya adds that Iran fired on the US cargo ship before escorting it, a move which will surely lead to a rapid and violent escalation in the gulf:

The Saudis and Americans are responsible for the "rapid and violent escalation in the Gulf", not Iran.

It is unclear why Iran would do this…

Depends on the "cargo". If US sailors are on board its likely war materiel.

Yeah but Iran is really gunning for things at this moment. Have you seen all the crap they are upto on Israel's northern border with Syria and Lebanon the past 48 hours? Things are getting very itchy finger up there.

Did a short check on Marinetraffic.com
Could not find any Vessels under US flag near Bandar Abbas.

There is one though, that sticks out:


ARISTOS II

Status:
Not Under Command
Speed/Course:
0.8kn / 72°
Destination:
FOR ORDERS

Not under command? No Destination? This means it would be parked there?
Could it be the one?

The track looks a bot odd as well, zig zagging...

I 'll try to figure out how to get a link to this info.

EDIT: here is the link: Aristos II

originally posted by: Agit8dChop
Israelis mouth piece jpost is saying there were no Amercans on board, contrary to Saudi reports

Iranian naval forces have engaged a commercial ship in the Arabian Gulf.

The ship is not a US-owned vessel and is not believed to be carrying American sailors, though Saudi-owned Al Arabiya reported earlier on Tuesday that 34 US military personnel were aboard the craft.

www.jpost.com...

So is the BBC American officials have denied media reports that a US cargo ship had been seized by the Iranian navy.
www.bbc.com...

originally posted by: Kapusta
Somthing does not add up here .
!

Pentagon Denies Iran Seized U.S. Cargo Ship

www.huffingtonpost.com...

Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television said an Iranian "force" seized a U.S. cargo ship after opening fire on it in the Gulf on Tuesday and directed it to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.

A Pentagon spokesman said Iranian forces had boarded a Marshall Island-flagged vessel, the MV Maersk Tigris, in the Gulf. He said the boarding occurred after Iranian patrol boats fired shots across the vessel's bow and ordered it deeper into Iranian waters.

The ship had no U.S. citizens aboard, the spokesman said, contradicting Al-Arabiya's report which said there were 34 U.S. sailors on board. He said it was traveling through the Strait of Hormuz when the incident occurred.

There was no immediate word from Iranian officials.

Eye witness report (by Pentagon spokesman??)
Marshall Island flagged vessel.
No U.S. citizen aboard.

This is a middling-large container ship. It has been in commercial service for quite some time.

A Pentagon official says Iranian patrol vessels have fired warning shots across the bridge of a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo vessel that was traversing the Strait of Hormuz in Iranian territorial waters.

Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, said the cargo ship's master had initially refused an Iranian order to move further into Iranian waters, but after the warning shots were fired the MV Maersk Tigris complied.

Warren said the cargo ship has been boarded by Iranians, but no one has been injured and no Americans are involved.

Warren said the cargo ship issued a distress call and U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, based in the area, sent a U.S. destroyer and an aircraft to the area of the incident to monitor the situation.

source

originally posted by: ufoorbhunter


Yeah but Iran is really gunning for things at this moment. Have you seen all the crap they are upto on Israel's northern border with Syria and Lebanon the past 48 hours? Things are getting very itchy finger up there.

can you elaborate please? what is going on?

Registered in the Marshall Islands....could be it gave a hit for radioactive substances if it actually came from the Marshall Islands area.....the US did PLENTY of testing there a while back and the area is still heavily contaminated.

originally posted by: peck420

originally posted by: intrptr
In case anyone gets a name for the vessel…

IRANIANS BOARDED MV MAERSK TIGRIS CARGO SHIP: PENTAGON

Per Zerohedge.

If this is the correct ship then here is the last known position I could find as of today: Maersk Tigris

Info on the MAERSK TIGRIS

Destination JEBEL ALI [AE]
ETA 2015-04-28 21:30 UTC
Last Known Port JEDDAH ANCH [SA] (2015-04-21 16:02:00)
Previous Port DAMIETTA [EG] (2015-03-27 05:32:00)

Flag is Marshall island, which does not mean much, since most company choose Flags for economical reasons.

a reply to: Vasa Croe

According to the US Navy it is the MV Maersk Tigris.

a reply to: Vasa Croe

Marshall Islands is one of the largest registry offices in the world, behind Monrovia - Literally thousands of vessels registered there from all over the planet.

As per my previous post you need the IMO # weld-stamped on the stern and accommodation block.

(I'm ex Merchant Captain of 20 years and currently Operations Director Australasia region for US based company)

a reply to: Vasa Croe

Yup.

What could possibly be illicit on her?

Last port was Jeddah, on route to Jebel. If the Saudi's wanted to move something illicit to UAE, they could just drive it over...or load it on an eastern port, and go direct to UAE waters. Also, if they did want something illicit off of her (from a previous port), they could have off loaded in Jeddah.

Maybe they just didn't file the proper paperwork and slipped into Iranian waters?

rt.com

A Pentagon spokesman has confirmed that Iranian forces boarded the Marshall Island-flagged Maersk Tigris vessel after patrol boats fired warning shots across its bow and ordered it deeper into Iranian waters, Reuters reports.

The vessel initially ignored the warning but complied after the shots were fired, U.S. Army Colonel Steve Warren said.

The ship had no US citizens on board and was traveling through the Strait of Hormuz when it was seized, the spokesman said, adding that US planes and the USS Farragut responded to a distress call from the vessel and are monitoring the situation.

According to Reuters tracking data, the Maersk Tigris is 'underway.' Its status is set to 'fast' and its destination is listed as 'Jebel Ali.'

seems pretty certain..

What is interesting is wasn't the US sending a ship to intercept an Iranian ship? Looks like the shoe is on the other foot...or some other cliche saying.

a reply to: Montana

Well done mate - there is your answer, as I suspected, merchant ship and Maersk are GLOBAL with offices in almost every major country.

Well, it it was in their territorial waters, then they every right to board it and have it steer to one of their ports for a full inspection. It's what any other country would do too and well within the law, so hardly an act of aggression on Iran's part, despite what the press would like to imply.

Obama doesn't have the balls to do what needs to be done here. He's too wrapped up in his bull$@&# bomb deal. President Tinyballs will dance diplomacy until the cows come home rather than send a good, strong message to those in the ME that you don't mess with the US.