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Iran detains 10 US sailors after vessels stopped in the Gulf

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  • Iran detains 10 US sailors after vessels stopped in the Gulf

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-35295766

  • #2
    aye carumba. A repeat of this one would expect.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_I...Navy_personnel
    In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

    Leibniz

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    • #3
      Hopefully not, but the first incident the Royal Navy was engaged in the boarding and search of a vessel in what Iran considered their territory. This incident from what I've read so far involved innocent passage with a mechanical casualty causing them to be stuck in Iranian waters. Less for the Iranians to stand on if they decided they wanted to hold them for a while. Plus the Iranians want something from the US, the implementation of the nuclear framework and pressure on KSA to lay off the Shia.

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      • #4
        10 crew in two boats, USN? Gee, doesn't that sound more like a Mk V SOC detachment than a pair of CB90s at first glance? Especially with the distance between the two given ports being somewhere around 250-260 nm. Gotta step quite a bit off the gas to reach that far with a CB90, and even more so if the tour includes going an extra 50 nm away from the shortest route to get stuck on some rock in the middle of the Persian Gulf.

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        • #5
          Does sound like a long trip for a CB90. No doubt they had other than completely innocent passage in mind, but if all they were doing was drifting or being stuck aground when the Iranians come on them then they should have plausible deniability. Hopefully they destroyed or dumped any mission sensitive information before the Iranians got their hands on it. Hard to tell from the official statements, but most say the sailors and the vessels will be returned-however the Washington post had an article quoting an unnamed official as saying this: [A U.S. defense official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a developing situation, said the U.S. personnel were expected to be freed around 9 a.m. local time. “They will be taken out to international waters by the Iranian Coast Guard and turned over to a U.S. ship,” the official said. ]
          That makes it sound more like they would release the sailors but maybe not the patrol boats. Should know shortly.

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          • #6
            Iranian parliamentary elections will be held in February, and presidential ones in 2017. President Hassan Rouhani will be hoping his talks with the West and negotiations to lift sanctions will bolster domestic support amongst the moderates and conservative factions. But with oil prices declining and the opposition claiming that his economic policies are not working, the firing of missiles near U.S ships in December and now detaining 10 US Sailors, coupled with the recent tensions with Riyadh, could well be an attempt to appeal to nationalist tendencies diverting attention from the economy, and appeasing hard-line conservatives.

            With oil prices looking to stay low in the foreseeable future, Tehran’s ability to solve its economic problems through oil sales have declined. The seduction of its agreement has diminished and with elections looming, Tehran may become more provocative in the coming months and year ahead. Any spike in oil prices from these events will directly benefit Rouhani’s regime. The Iranian’s are playing a careful game, balancing many different interests at once while being careful not to overstep.

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            • #7
              The boats look like RCB's, not MK V SOC's. Curious that one broke and the other one didn't tow it out into open water?

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              • #8
                According to Washington Post, these are Swedish CB90 boats used by USN, called Riverine Command Boats.

                https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...-into-custody/
                "Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

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                • #9
                  The pictures presented are stock photos presented to the press by the USN, or picked by press out of USN archives. Of course those are CB90s. They are not the boats involved here though.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by kato View Post
                    The pictures presented are stock photos presented to the press by the USN, or picked by press out of USN archives. Of course those are CB90s. They are not the boats involved here though.
                    Oh. Are there photos of the boats involved?
                    "Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

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                    • #11
                      Note: Seen Iranian video of the arrests. Boats are CB90s without any of the flashy camo paint that the riverine squadron usually touts on all of theirs (see also pics in above WP link). US flags flown, crew members look vaguely American for the most part (there's another user of CB90s in the area with a bit more problems regarding Iran, hence why saying that).
                      Last edited by kato; 14 Jan 16,, 21:48.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by kato View Post
                        Note: Seen Iranian video of the arrests. Boats are CB90s without any of the flashy camo paint that the riverine squadron usually touts on all of theirs (see also pics in above WP link). US flags flown, crew members look vaguely American for the most part (there's another user of CB90s in the area with a bit more problems regarding Iran, hence why saying that).
                        That's now two insinuating posts to this thread, is there a point to your leading, or are you just stirring shit up? If you have something to say, stop pussyfooting around and get to your speculative point.
                        "We are all special cases." - Camus

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                        • #13
                          Pretty simple. Saudi Arabia runs 80% of all CB90s in the area, and in the current overall situation has a lot more interest in stirring shit up with Iran than the US does. In fact the US has a vested interest in keeping any such Saudi operation out of the limelight.

                          A US snooping operation wouldn't use CB90s in that theater or most other places (whatever for? Those things have a giant visibility footprint in audio, optics, IR and radar, and lack both range and suitable support equipment or the space to mount such).

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by DonBelt View Post
                            Hopefully not, but the first incident the Royal Navy was engaged in the boarding and search of a vessel in what Iran considered their territory. This incident from what I've read so far involved innocent passage with a mechanical casualty causing them to be stuck in Iranian waters. Less for the Iranians to stand on if they decided they wanted to hold them for a while. Plus the Iranians want something from the US, the implementation of the nuclear framework and pressure on KSA to lay off the Shia.
                            There's super-majorities in both chambers that wouldn't mind scuttling the whole deal and a majority that wouldn't mind bombing Iran right now. Iran is merely solidifying US distaste of Iran, and that screws over Iran, not the US.

                            Iran should aim for rapprochement. Instead you have lunatics like the Revolutionary Guard detaining US sailors.

                            Whatever. The boys in North Dakota are killing them with $30/barrel oil.
                            "The great questions of the day will not be settled by means of speeches and majority decisions but by iron and blood"-Otto Von Bismarck

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by kato View Post
                              Pretty simple. Saudi Arabia runs 80% of all CB90s in the area, and in the current overall situation has a lot more interest in stirring shit up with Iran than the US does. In fact the US has a vested interest in keeping any such Saudi operation out of the limelight.

                              A US snooping operation wouldn't use CB90s in that theater or most other places (whatever for? Those things have a giant visibility footprint in audio, optics, IR and radar, and lack both range and suitable support equipment or the space to mount such).
                              Yep, still not sure wtf your point was beyond baseless wild speculation. I'm sure the guys that got detained by the IRGCN will get a kick out of your imaginative assessment.
                              "We are all special cases." - Camus

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