# Wouldn’t it make sense for an Iranian ship’s captain to negotiate a surrender to US forces in 2026? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** iran-strikes-2026\ **Created:** [March 5, 2026, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wouldn-t-it-make-sense-for-an-iranian-ship-s-captain-to-negotiate-a-surrender-to-us-forces-in-2026/1028230 "2026-03-05T17:01:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wouldn-t-it-make-sense-for-an-iranian-ship-s-captain-to-negotiate-a-surrender-to-us-forces-in-2026/1028230/1 "2026-03-05T17:01:44Z")
Wouldn’t it make sense for the ship’s captain to negotiate a surrender to US forces? AFAIK They haven’t made any hostile acts against the US military. The seamen aren’t criminals. > **[Iranian ship asks to dock in Sri Lankan port after US sinking of frigate](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/05/iran-ship-sri-lanka-port-after-us-sinking-of-frigate)** > > Urgent request submitted by vessel after US submarine sank Iranian warship in same area with torpedo on Tuesday ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wouldn-t-it-make-sense-for-an-iranian-ship-s-captain-to-negotiate-a-surrender-to-us-forces-in-2026/1028230/2 "2026-03-05T17:09:39Z")
It’s a military support ship. The seaman are enemy combatants. You don’t wait for them to attack first. The ship’s captain is under orders and it makes significantly more sense to seek shelter and wait it out than to surrender. There us valuable intelligence information aboard. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wouldn-t-it-make-sense-for-an-iranian-ship-s-captain-to-negotiate-a-surrender-to-us-forces-in-2026/1028230/3 "2026-03-05T17:31:21Z")
I agree the Iranian ship is a legitimate military target. The Captain only has two choices, surrender or dock in a Sri Lankan port under the pretext of needing repairs. Will Sri Lanka get involved and offer the ship protection? I wouldn’t think getting hit by US torpedos is a viable 3rd option. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wouldn-t-it-make-sense-for-an-iranian-ship-s-captain-to-negotiate-a-surrender-to-us-forces-in-2026/1028230/4 "2026-03-05T17:34:35Z")
Third choice is to get all crew off and scuttle the ship. Being sunk is pretty much the worse option. ---
**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:** [March 5, 2026, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wouldn-t-it-make-sense-for-an-iranian-ship-s-captain-to-negotiate-a-surrender-to-us-forces-in-2026/1028230/5 "2026-03-05T17:42:18Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Wouldn’t it make sense for the ship’s captain to negotiate a surrender to US forces? Would the US even bother to respond? It’s probably widely known in the seafaring community that the US has developed a habit of just sinking ships and [killing the survivors](https://www.npr.org/2025/12/02/nx-s1-5628308/trump-hegseth-boat-strikes). I doubt they’d expect to survive a surrender attempt to Americans. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wouldn-t-it-make-sense-for-an-iranian-ship-s-captain-to-negotiate-a-surrender-to-us-forces-in-2026/1028230/6 "2026-03-05T17:42:58Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Being sunk is pretty much the worse option. Is it? Capture is probably worse for a naval officer. Go down with the ship, right? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wouldn-t-it-make-sense-for-an-iranian-ship-s-captain-to-negotiate-a-surrender-to-us-forces-in-2026/1028230/7 "2026-03-05T17:46:27Z")
Dated and that was generally only the Captain. The Captain should get their crew to safety in a no win situation. [Think Germans and Scapa Flow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scapa_Flow#Scuttling_of_the_German_fleet). And I probably should extract this conversation to a new thread. Done ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wouldn-t-it-make-sense-for-an-iranian-ship-s-captain-to-negotiate-a-surrender-to-us-forces-in-2026/1028230/8 "2026-03-05T17:51:32Z")
No idea what the Navy will do if an enemy Navy or Navy Support Vessel surrenders, hopefully return to accepting surrender. Those Boats Strikes are a dark stain on the long and generally honorable tradition of the US Navy. ---
**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:** [March 5, 2026, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wouldn-t-it-make-sense-for-an-iranian-ship-s-captain-to-negotiate-a-surrender-to-us-forces-in-2026/1028230/9 "2026-03-05T17:54:49Z")
It should also be noted that in regards to the issue at hand, it’s less a matter of “what would the Navy actually do” than it is “what would an _Iranian captain think_ the American Navy might do?” And I doubt they feel very trusting in our willingness to refrain from war crimes at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wouldn-t-it-make-sense-for-an-iranian-ship-s-captain-to-negotiate-a-surrender-to-us-forces-in-2026/1028230/10 "2026-03-05T17:57:26Z")
Are Iranian ship captains even allowed to surrender their ship to foreign powers and, if not, would the crew even follow what they determine to be an unlawful order to do so? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wouldn-t-it-make-sense-for-an-iranian-ship-s-captain-to-negotiate-a-surrender-to-us-forces-in-2026/1028230/11 "2026-03-05T18:01:07Z")
I don’t think anyone would know that for sure outside of the Iranian Government and senior Navy Officers, but that would also be illegal and criminal. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wouldn-t-it-make-sense-for-an-iranian-ship-s-captain-to-negotiate-a-surrender-to-us-forces-in-2026/1028230/12 "2026-03-05T18:01:54Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Are Iranian ship captains even allowed to surrender their ship to foreign powers Once he’s done so, what’s the IRGC gonna do about it? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wouldn-t-it-make-sense-for-an-iranian-ship-s-captain-to-negotiate-a-surrender-to-us-forces-in-2026/1028230/13 "2026-03-05T18:08:10Z")
What they would do about it is not a tenth as important as what a crew who have been informed that such would be an illegal act would do about it. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wouldn-t-it-make-sense-for-an-iranian-ship-s-captain-to-negotiate-a-surrender-to-us-forces-in-2026/1028230/14 "2026-03-05T18:11:41Z")
It is not illegal to surrender a ship in a no win situation. The only exception I could think of is if it was a cutting edge high tech vessel and that brings us back to scuttling the ship. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wouldn-t-it-make-sense-for-an-iranian-ship-s-captain-to-negotiate-a-surrender-to-us-forces-in-2026/1028230/15 "2026-03-05T18:18:43Z")
Well, the **Google AI response** was > " Under current wartime conditions (as of March 2026), Iranian military personnel, including captains, are explicitly ordered by U.S. leadership to **surrender or face “certain death”**. However, historical and recent actions by the Iranian military suggest a doctrine that often prioritizes resistance or sinking over surrender." Iranian doctrine may hold more sway than U.S. doctrine when it comes to what an Iranian captain might do. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wouldn-t-it-make-sense-for-an-iranian-ship-s-captain-to-negotiate-a-surrender-to-us-forces-in-2026/1028230/16 "2026-03-05T18:21:55Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > What they would do about it is not a tenth as important as what a crew who have been informed that such would be an illegal act would do about it. Sure, I guess if the crew felt like it, they could mutiny and attack the Americans when they come to pick up the ship after the captain surrenders, in which case they might get a sucker punch off an an American ship shortly before finding themselves at the bottom of the sea. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wouldn-t-it-make-sense-for-an-iranian-ship-s-captain-to-negotiate-a-surrender-to-us-forces-in-2026/1028230/17 "2026-03-05T18:22:13Z")
**Moderating** : Going forward, please place AI statements in Quote tags and bold the from Google AI part. I’ll fix your post. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wouldn-t-it-make-sense-for-an-iranian-ship-s-captain-to-negotiate-a-surrender-to-us-forces-in-2026/1028230/18 "2026-03-05T18:25:01Z")
Uh, no. What is more likely to happen in a case like that is the crew rebelling and replacing the captain before we ever get our hands on it. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wouldn-t-it-make-sense-for-an-iranian-ship-s-captain-to-negotiate-a-surrender-to-us-forces-in-2026/1028230/19 "2026-03-05T18:25:03Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > > However, historical and recent actions by the Iranian military suggest a doctrine that often prioritizes resistance or sinking over surrender." > > Iranian doctrine may hold more sway than U.S. doctrine when it comes to what an Iranian captain might do. “Prioritize resistance or sinking over surrender” doesn’t sound like it’s in accordance with “ask Sri Lanka to hide out in port for the rest of the war” either, so if that’s what Iranian doctrine calls for, they may not be following it anyways. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wouldn-t-it-make-sense-for-an-iranian-ship-s-captain-to-negotiate-a-surrender-to-us-forces-in-2026/1028230/20 "2026-03-05T18:25:14Z")
Thank you. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wouldn-t-it-make-sense-for-an-iranian-ship-s-captain-to-negotiate-a-surrender-to-us-forces-in-2026/1028230.md?page=2)