# U.S.-Iranian confrontation in the Gulf of Hormuz **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 8, 2008, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-iranian-confrontation-in-the-gulf-of-hormuz/432683 "2008-01-08T02:25:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**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 13, 2008, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-iranian-confrontation-in-the-gulf-of-hormuz/432683/41 "2008-01-13T21:32:12Z")
[QUOTE=FinnAgain] With all the claims that this incident was in whole or in part cooked up, you’d think that the Bush administration could have cooked up an actual attack, no? [/QUOTE] And they could have planted WMDs or the materials to make them in Iraq to bolster their lies. They didn’t, because they are a pack of incompetents. To the extent that they cooked up this incident, they did it badly because they do just about everything badly. [QUOTE=msmith537] Other than the fact that both incidents occured in a Gulf, I’m not sure what one has to do with the other. [/QUOTE] Rather obviously, both are attempts by the US to create the perception that we were attacked ( or rather harassed, in this case ). That’s the connection. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-iranian-confrontation-in-the-gulf-of-hormuz/432683/42 "2008-01-14T15:30:08Z")
[QUOTE=Der Trihs] Rather obviously, both are attempts by the US to create the perception that we were attacked ( or rather harassed, in this case ). That’s the connection. [/QUOTE] Well the are similar in many ways: The both involved the US Navy They happened in a gulf of some sort They also involved nations with who we are not particularly friendly They took place on water They are different, however, in many ways: No shots were fired in the GoH The US was already involved in covery military actions against North Vietnam when the GoT incident occured Both sides seem to be playing up the GoH incident as a “misunderstanding” and it has largely been forgotten in the media The GoH incident seems much more heavily documented than the GoT Seems a fairly tenuous connection at best. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-iranian-confrontation-in-the-gulf-of-hormuz/432683/43 "2008-01-14T16:11:10Z")
[QUOTE=msmith537] The US was already involved in covery military actions against North Vietnam when the GoT incident occured [/QUOTE] [Bush Authorizes New Covert Action Against Iran](http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/05/bush_authorizes.html) > [@](#): > > May 22, 2007 > The CIA has received secret presidential approval to mount a covert “black” operation to destabilize the Iranian government, current and former officials in the intelligence community tell the Blotter on [ABCNews.com](http://ABCNews.com). > > The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject, say President Bush has signed a “nonlethal presidential finding” that puts into motion a CIA plan that reportedly includes a coordinated campaign of propaganda, disinformation and manipulation of Iran’s currency and international financial transactions. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-iranian-confrontation-in-the-gulf-of-hormuz/432683/44 "2008-01-14T19:08:50Z")
[QUOTE=Squink] [Bush Authorizes New Covert Action Against Iran](http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/05/bush_authorizes.html) [/QUOTE] Not to make too fine a point of it, but I meant actual military operations into North Vietnam. That does not appear to be the case yet. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-iranian-confrontation-in-the-gulf-of-hormuz/432683/45 "2008-01-14T20:07:39Z")
[QUOTE=msmith537] That does not appear to be the case yet. [/QUOTE] [There’s rumors](http://66.39.105.129/floor_speeches/intl_bush_letters4may.php). I wouldn’t expect us to _know_ until something goes wrong. ---
**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 15, 2008, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-iranian-confrontation-in-the-gulf-of-hormuz/432683/46 "2008-01-15T04:31:43Z")
[QUOTE=Wildfire\*\*MM] Prankster called “Filipino Monkey” may Have Been Behind Radio Threats this according to [http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/005061.php](http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/005061.php) [/QUOTE] See post 28. You read it here first. ---
**Author:** ![Wildfire\_MM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f08c70/32.png) [@Wildfire\_MM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wildfire_MM)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-iranian-confrontation-in-the-gulf-of-hormuz/432683/47 "2008-01-21T22:21:18Z")
from wikipedia > [@](#): > > These inconsistencies have given rise to comparisons with the Gulf of Tonkin Incident during the Vietnam War which was used by Lyndon Johnson to provide a casus belli for escalating the conflict. > **[2008 Iran–United States naval dispute](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_US-Iranian_naval_dispute)** > > The 2008 Iran–United States naval dispute refers to a series of naval stand-offs between Iranian speedboats and U.S. Navy warships in the Strait of Hormuz in December 2007 and January 2008. > On 6 January 2008, five Iranian patrol boats crewed by the Revolutionary Guard approached three United States Navy warships in the Strait of Hormuz: the cruiser USS Port Royal, the destroyer USS Hopper and the frigate USS Ingraham. In a compilation of video and audio released by the Pentagon of the most pro... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-iranian-confrontation-in-the-gulf-of-hormuz/432683.md?page=2)