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)
The propaganda to cover up a major USA vulnerability is interesting, isn't it? The USA Navy didn't 'face down' anything. The USA Navy blew their horn and made movies.
To begin, the small 'speed' boats obviously knew the USA Navy ships were there. That's not the issue, so blowing the horn was simply a matter of protocol that gave every appearance of 'being stupid.' It's a stupid protocol. There were five boats all headed in the one direction and you mean to tell me that blowing the horn on a USA warship was to make them aware of something they already knew existed? That is absolutely stupid.
Given the episode of the USS Cole, the first response by any USA warship 'should be' to fire on the approaching boats. Not necessarily fire exactly on them, but, fire to their perimeters with every increasing smaller radii until the boats are finally dead center and receiving fire directly. That can be accomplished with 'on board' guns. There is no need for missiles or explosives. It isn't that kind of episodic problem, unless, the boats continue to approach out of control of a driver and then a surface to surface, minor explosive would have to destroy the boat. But, those Iranian vessels came within 300 feet of a USA warship, that is simply unacceptable. The approach against the attack speed boats should have engaged long before the boats got that close.
The personnel of the USA Navy boats were unable to formulate a good response. Those small speed boats were not identified as military components because they were covert. They looked like a bunch of guys on a days outing. That is the way they were supposed to appear. There is obviously no control of pleasure boats in the Straits of Hormuz. As a result to 'avert' any International Incident with sincere civilian boats the USA needs to stay out of the strait.
This is where USA diplomacy has failed royally under this administration and is still another reason to impeach. The diplomatic corp of the USA should have established protocols of conduct of USA warships entering the Strait long before the ship personnel are supposed to call on their training to remain safe and fend off any attack. In other words, it should be plainly understood by all governments, even Iran, that when a USA warship enters the Strait of Hormuz it will defend itself and therefore the sovereign foreign governments need to 'handle' their civilian traffic in proximal distance to USA warships accordingly.
The Iranians were able to carry out war games successfully and gave the USA Navy a 'taste' of it's prowess.
The USA Navy needs to stay in the Gulf of Oman and away from provoking the defenses, no matter the method of Iran. This was a covert mission that had good intelligence, which they obtained from 'somewhere,' either their own observations of approaching ships from The Gulf of Oman or from other allied sources. My guess is that this was a 'self contained' Iranian maneuver and it was done very well. The personnel on board of the speed boats knew exactly how to handle those boats although there was one time when nearly two of them collided. And believe me, if they did collide and there were casualities it would have been coined as an act of war by the USA against Iran. Iran would have claimed the boats were fired on, caused an explosion and therefore begun the first battle of a war. It would have come down that way from Iran and all the more reason the USA needs to contain it's fuel needs and refitting of supplies to the Gulf of Oman. The potential for inflamming International relationships with Iran and its allies is too easily orchestrated to even risk the potential.
In all honesty, considering the location of such warships which carry significant weapons that could destroy a nuclear reactor, the Iranians acted appropriately in their intensions and the USA Navy provided a 'real time' opportunity for Iran to practice it's own protocols. This is what happens when the USA has a Neocon in the White House. There are 'brush burn' incidents that if go "W"rong are viewed as reasons to war by Bush and Cheney. There is insufficient diplomacy between Iran and the USA, as a result there are tensions to a tinder box ALL THE TIME.
THAT...
...is called incompetency and requires impeachment. For that reason alone, the UN needs to put the USA in its place and demand diplomatic relations be conducted between the USA and Iran in order to facilitate any further sanctions against Iran as we already know Iran is not capable of producing nuclear weapons.
Where does a country, that is supposed to be promoting peace such as the USA, simply sit outside of any diplomatic relations with any sovereign country while passing judgement stating it has a right to attack same country? Where? The reason diplomatic relations exist is to sort through details of such matters and seek the best solutions.
The morality of the USA is compromised without diplomacy and therefore it's legitimate right to attack other sovereign powers. End of discussion.
