# Five Iranian Boats threaten 3 US Navy ships **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 8, 2008, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-iranian-boats-threaten-3-us-navy-ships/432716 "2008-01-08T09:48:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-iranian-boats-threaten-3-us-navy-ships/432716/161 "2008-01-11T20:25:54Z")
Well, we nervous nellies worry about stuff like that, governments that seem eager for a confrontation give us the vapors. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-iranian-boats-threaten-3-us-navy-ships/432716/162 "2008-01-11T20:51:54Z")
[QUOTE=xtisme] So…we have the Iranian’s being stupid and we have Bush et al remaining as stupid as ever. [/QUOTE] Given our demonstrated willingness to attack people who are trying to cooperate, like Saddam did with the inspections, and make things up out of whole cloth and start wars over them ( where are those mobile WMD labs and massive fleets of drones that Saddam had, hmmm ? ), I doubt that the Iranians see provoking us as stupid. With justification. After all, what difference does it make ? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-iranian-boats-threaten-3-us-navy-ships/432716/163 "2008-01-11T21:01:37Z")
[QUOTE=Der Trihs] Given our demonstrated willingness to attack people who are trying to cooperate, like Saddam did with the inspections, and make things up out of whole cloth and start wars over them ( where are those mobile WMD labs and massive fleets of drones that Saddam had, hmmm ? ), I doubt that the Iranians see provoking us as stupid. With justification. After all, what difference does it make ? [/QUOTE] Iraq wasn’t really trying to cooperate, and you know it. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-iranian-boats-threaten-3-us-navy-ships/432716/164 "2008-01-11T21:09:23Z")
[Iraq agreed to destroy the Al-Samoud 2](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Samoud_2) long range missiles, and as of March 2, 2003, 10 had been destroyed. The 2003 invasion of Iraq interrupted Iraq’s destruction of the remainder. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-iranian-boats-threaten-3-us-navy-ships/432716/165 "2008-01-11T21:19:16Z")
[QUOTE=Mr. Moto] Iraq wasn’t really trying to cooperate, and you know it. [/QUOTE] Of course they were. We simply weren’t interested. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-iranian-boats-threaten-3-us-navy-ships/432716/166 "2008-01-11T21:23:18Z")
[QUOTE=Squink] [Iraq agreed to destroy the Al-Samoud 2](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Samoud_2) long range missiles, and as of March 2, 2003, 10 had been destroyed. The 2003 invasion of Iraq interrupted Iraq’s destruction of the remainder. [/QUOTE] Well, there you have it! They forced the invasion, which stopped their cooperation! Clearly, their plan all along, the cunning devils! ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-iranian-boats-threaten-3-us-navy-ships/432716/167 "2008-01-11T21:51:38Z")
[QUOTE=Mr. Moto] Iraq wasn’t really trying to cooperate, and you know it. [/QUOTE] Iraq didn’t have any WMDs and you know it. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-iranian-boats-threaten-3-us-navy-ships/432716/168 "2008-01-11T21:51:39Z")
[QUOTE=Der Trihs] Given our demonstrated willingness to attack people who are trying to cooperate, like Saddam did with the inspections, and make things up out of whole cloth and start wars over them ( where are those mobile WMD labs and massive fleets of drones that Saddam had, hmmm ? ), I doubt that the Iranians see provoking us as stupid. With justification. After all, what difference does it make ? [/QUOTE] Um…this seems counter intuitive to me (to say the least). Let me see if I have this right…the US, according to you, is a powerful nation state that can and will attack without provocation. Correct? And you are saying that this means that a nation like Iran SHOULD provoke us anyway? Sort of like going up and poking at a boar with a stick to see if it will charge you. Of course, the actual reason that Iran feels reasonably safe in poking at the US with a stick is because your comic book characterization of the US is a bit off (who’d of thunk it, coming from you, ehe?). If we really WERE such loose cannons then we would have already attacked Iran months or years ago (I seem to recall someone with a name similar to your own predicting just such an attack…several times in fact…). Unless you think Iran is crazy of course… -XT ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-iranian-boats-threaten-3-us-navy-ships/432716/169 "2008-01-11T21:58:15Z")
[QUOTE=xtisme] Um…this seems counter intuitive to me (to say the least). Let me see if I have this right…the US, according to you, is a powerful nation state that can and will attack without provocation. Correct? And you are saying that this means that a nation like Iran SHOULD provoke us anyway? Sort of like going up and poking at a boar with a stick to see if it will charge you. [/quote] I’m saying that it makes sense to “provoke” us if they feel it necessary for other political purposes, because provocation or the lack of it makes no difference to our behavior. [QUOTE=xtisme] Of course, the actual reason that Iran feels reasonably safe in poking at the US with a stick is because your comic book characterization of the US is a bit off (who’d of thunk it, coming from you, ehe?). If we really WERE such loose cannons then we would have already attacked Iran months or years ago (I seem to recall someone with a name similar to your own predicting just such an attack…several times in fact…). [/QUOTE] And we would have, if we weren’t bogged down in Iraq. And while you do seem fond of saying that I characterize America as a comic book villain, I don’t. We are both stupider and more evil than the great majority of such villains. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-iranian-boats-threaten-3-us-navy-ships/432716/170 "2008-01-12T00:21:54Z")
[US Navy fired warning at Iranian craft](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080111/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_us_navy_64) > [@](#): > > The U.S. Navy said Friday that one of its ships fired warning shots at a small Iranian boat in the Strait of Hormuz in December during one of two serious encounters that month. > > The USS Whidbey Island fired the warning shots on Dec. 19 in response to a small Iranian boat that was rapidly approaching it, said a U.S. Navy official. > > “One small (Iranian) craft was coming toward it, and it stopped after the Whidbey Island fired warning shots,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. I’m glad the official didn’t give his name, otherwise his family could have been targeted by a Quds Force Assassination Team. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-iranian-boats-threaten-3-us-navy-ships/432716/171 "2008-01-12T00:58:00Z")
Wierd Stuff: [‘Filipino Monkey’ may be behind radio threats, ship drivers say](http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/01/navy_hormuz_iran_radio_080111/) > [@](#): > > “For 25 years there’s been this mythical guy out there who, hour after hour, shouts obscenities and threats,” he said. “He could be tied up pierside somewhere or he could be on the bridge of a merchant ship.” > > And the Monkey has stamina. > > “He used to go all night long. The guy is crazy,” he said. “But who knows how many Filipino Monkeys there are? Could it have been a spurious transmission? Absolutely.” > > Furthermore, Hoffman said radio signals have a way of traveling long distances in that area. “Under certain weather conditions I could hear Bahrain from the Strait of Hormuz.” ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-iranian-boats-threaten-3-us-navy-ships/432716/172 "2008-01-12T05:52:01Z")
[QUOTE=Squink] Wierd Stuff: [‘Filipino Monkey’ may be behind radio threats, ship drivers say](http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/01/navy_hormuz_iran_radio_080111/) [/QUOTE] I posted this in the GD thread about this event. (From the Register.) No real response - maybe here. All we need is to start a war with Iran, and then have some trolling ham radio clown say “Bush, you been pwned.” ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-iranian-boats-threaten-3-us-navy-ships/432716/173 "2008-01-12T06:58:06Z")
[QUOTE=Squink] Wierd Stuff: [‘Filipino Monkey’ may be behind radio threats, ship drivers say](http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/01/navy_hormuz_iran_radio_080111/) [/QUOTE] That`s exactly what I thought happened here. Really, the histrionics on the voice calling are all the proof needed. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-iranian-boats-threaten-3-us-navy-ships/432716/174 "2008-01-12T19:39:33Z")
Upon reflection, I may have been unduly harsh with **Mr. Moto** in this thread. I am sorry for that, **Mr. Moto**. My ire at the lack of integrity among our leaders and our media got the better of me. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-iranian-boats-threaten-3-us-navy-ships/432716/175 "2008-01-12T20:30:46Z")
Squink posted this news item from Dec 19th concerning the USS Whidbey Island: > [@](#): > > “One small (Iranian) craft was coming toward it, and it stopped after the [USS] Whidbey Island fired warning shots,” Well, that sure seems like a good strategy to me … and it worked. 🙂 Even if the threat of a small Iranian boat is probably negligible, a stern warning can sometimes be necessary and effective. Someone made an analogy of a small dog nipping at your ankles. Yes, you aren’t going to stomp it to death, but if it persists, don’t you eventually yell “NO !!!” ? I sure do. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-iranian-boats-threaten-3-us-navy-ships/432716/176 "2008-01-12T21:02:55Z")
[QUOTE=Squink] [US Navy fired warning at Iranian craft](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080111/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_us_navy_64) I’m glad the official didn’t give his name, otherwise his family could have been targeted by a Quds Force Assassination Team. [/QUOTE] Three very serious incidents in total. On December 19 and 22, the _Whidbey Island_ (gun for hire) and the _Carr_ (tanker escort) were probed by Iranian reconnaissance boats. The _W.I._ fired warning shots, the _Carr_ did not. Then on Sunday, 1/6/08, 5 Iranian recon boats buzzed a group of three US ships and dropped white boxes into the water in front of the ships.[And while Adm. Mike Mullen — chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — said he could not himself tell if verbal threats heard in a U.S.-aired tape of the confrontation actually came from the Iranian boats, he said the clash was the most “provocative and dramatic” he has seen to date](http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-01-11-full-video_N.htm?csp=34). “The incident ought to remind us all just how real is the threat posed by Iran and just how ready we are to meet that threat if it comes to it,” Mullen said. The incident Sunday ended peacefully with no warning shots fired, the U.S. military said. But in December, the Navy said Friday, one of its ships fired warning shots at a small Iranian boat in the Strait of Hormuz during one of two serious encounters that month. The USS Whidbey Island fired the warning shots on Dec. 19 in response to a small Iranian boat that was rapidly approaching it, said a Navy official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. In the second incident that month, the USS Carr encountered three small Iranian craft on Dec. 22, two of which were armed, said the official. The USS Carr did not fire warning shots but sent warning blasts on the ships whistle, which caused the boats to turn around. The three ships involved in this latest Iranian incident had been looking for a lost sailor and were separated from the rest of the [Expeditionary Strike Group](http://www.c7f.navy.mil/news/2007/november/12.htm) and were therefore vulnerable (as vulnerable as a Cruiser, a Destroyer and a Frigate can be) at the Strait. This was an action of opportunity; if it wasn’t a provocation, then it was a probe. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-iranian-boats-threaten-3-us-navy-ships/432716/177 "2008-01-12T21:15:15Z")
[QUOTE=xtisme] Were you aware that the Gulf of Tonkin incident happened in 1964? Just a reality check to make sure you are in the same universe as the rest of us. -XT [/QUOTE] Show me the WMD.Is that in your reality.? ---
**Author:** ![Anomalous\_Reading](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Anomalous\_Reading](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anomalous_Reading)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-iranian-boats-threaten-3-us-navy-ships/432716/178 "2008-01-12T21:31:45Z")
We ARE aware of recent revelations that the Gulf of Tonkin incident was miscommunication and assured falsehoods once the ball was rolling… [yes?](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18045569) ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2008, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-iranian-boats-threaten-3-us-navy-ships/432716/179 "2008-01-13T00:04:40Z")
What we are aware of is governments lie to their citizens. When I read that we are parking a part of our navy in the gulf outside Iran ,I wonder why. It is not to go waterskiing and it is provocative. Then when I hear some guys in canoes were attacking our destroyers with hamsters I wonder again. The mushroom cloud talk from Condi was a fabrication. WMD another one. Then a whole string of lies followed. Now I am to believe them. I am skeptical when they talk. I always need more. This story does not come close to being convincing. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2008, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-iranian-boats-threaten-3-us-navy-ships/432716/180 "2008-01-13T00:25:58Z")
[QUOTE=El Cid Viscoso] Then on Sunday, 1/6/08, 5 Iranian recon boats buzzed a group of three US ships and dropped white boxes into the water in front of the ships. [/QUOTE] Where is the evidence of any boxes being dropped in the water? Where is any evidence of any of the boats crossing in front of the ships? Apparently, they were running video of the incident the whole time. Surely they would have been able to get some shots of these mysterious white boxes being dropped in front of the ships, right? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-iranian-boats-threaten-3-us-navy-ships/432716.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-iranian-boats-threaten-3-us-navy-ships/432716.md?page=10)