As Obama Prepares to give SOTU Praising Iranian Deal, Iran Detains 2 US Navy Boats

[Acebb]

Proving that conservatives and the Israeli Prime Minister were "wrong on Iran!!!"


Defense officials scrambled to determine what happened, saying they were looking into whether a mechanical issue caused the incident. Officials also said one or both of the small boats may have veered into Iranian territorial waters near Iran’s Farsi Island. The U.S. Navy had lost contact with the two boats, U.S. officials said.
A senior administration official said the U.S. has received assurances that the two small boats and their crew were to be released “promptly.” The two boats were on a trip to Bahrain from Kuwait, officials said.

=====
Again, this President is just like King Midas in reverse, everything he touches turns to crap.

 

[superbeets]

The type of riverine command boat apprehended by Iran. © Reuters

The type of riverine command boat apprehended by Iran. © Reuters

 

[superbeets]

Iran said a US aircraft carrier “acted provocatively and unprofessionally” after its Revolutionary Guards seized two US boats that strayed into Islamic Republic's territorial waters.
The USS Harry S. Truman, which is currently deployed in the Persian Gulf, has been conducting improper maneuvers in the wake of the detention of the boats, a top Iranian naval commander claimed.


Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi, the chief of Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Navy, talked about the incident with the American boats in a live interview on state TV.




Fadavi dismissed reports that the ten American troops detained by the IRGC would soon be released as “speculation.” He said they would be questioned and warned that Iran would “act properly” if it concludes that the boats entered Iranian waters on an espionage mission rather than by accident.
He confirmed that US Secretary of State John Kerry had talked with his Iranian counterpart, Javad Zarif. Zarif demanded a formal apology for the breach of Iranian sovereignty, Fadavi said.


Last month, the US condemned Iran for conducting tests of a ballistic missile system in the Strait of Hormuz, saying the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier and the USS Bulkeley destroyer were in proximity.

The incident comes at a crucial moment for the nuclear deal between Tehran and six leading world powers, as Iranian nuclear scientists are about to disable the Arak heavy water reactor, paving the way for the lifting of economic sanctions on the Iranian oil industry.

 

[superbeets]

[h=1]15 Royal Navy sailors captured at gunpoint by Iranian guards[/h]

Friday, March 23, 2007




Fifteen British Royal Navy personnel have been captured by Iranian authorities at gunpoint in the Persian Gulf off the Iraqi coast, according to theBritish Ministry of Defence. The Royal Navy insists that they were operating in Iraqi waters. The Iranian government initially gave the location of the incident as being inside Iraqi waters. After comments from the UK government, Iran gave a revised position for the incident, and the new position provided by the Iranians was outside Iraqi waters and within Iranian territorial waters. The Iranian government then stated that it was not the first time that British ships had entered Iranian waters.
The sailors and marines, from the Type 22 frigate HMS Cornwall, had been inspecting, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1723, a ship that was believed to be smuggling cars into Iraq, though it was subsequently cleared after inspection.



The incident occurred near the Shatt al-Arab (Arvandrud) waterway, which forms the southern border between Iran and Iraq. Territorial and navigational control over the waterway has been a constant source of friction between the two countries, helping spark the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.
The Ministry of Defence said that the Royal Navy personnel had been "engaged in routine boarding operations of merchant shipping in Iraqi territorial waters" and had finished their search of the suspect vessel when they were surrounded by Iranian forces. An Iraqi fisherman (who wished to remain anonymous) said that he saw the incident take place in the Ras al-Beesha area near the northern entrance of the Persian Gulf.
The British government has demanded the return of the servicemen. Margaret Beckett, the U.K.'s Foreign Secretary said, "we sought a full explanation of what happened and left the Iranian authorities in no doubt that we expect immediate and safe return of our service personnel and boats."The Iranian ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Office to see the Permanent Secretary to theFCO (as the Foreign Secretary was away from London in her Parliamentary constituency at the time).
The United States also called for the immediate release of the sailors, supporting the United Kingdom's demand. Sean McCormack, a spokesman for the United States Department of State, said "we support the British demand for the safe return of their people and equipment."The United States also confirmed separately (as reported on the BBC Ten O'Clock News) that it believed the British sailors had been in Iraqi waters.
"This is not the first time that British military personnel during the occupation of Iraq have entered illegally into Iran's territorial waters. [The sailors have been] detained by Iran's border authorities for further investigation ... of the blatant aggression into Iranian territorial waters," said an Iranian foreign Ministry official according to the television station run by Iran's government.
In June 2004, three small vessels and eight Royal Navy personnel were detained by Iranian forces after they allegedly entered Iranian waters on the Shatt al-Arab river without permission. At the time, the story was broken when the capture was announced on state-run Iranian television. British officials only stated that they had "lost contact" with the boats, before confirming their detention.
On that occasion the men were later released unharmed, but only after being paraded blindfolded on Iranian TV and made to apologise for their role in the incident. The equipment was not returned.
The seizure took place on the eve of Saturday's expected vote on a UN Security Council resolution imposing sanctions on Iran for refusing to end its uranium enrichment programme.
Iran recently threatened to seize Coalition military personnel in response to what it claimed was an undercover operation by foreign security agencies to abduct senior officers in its Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Reza Faker, a writer believed to have links with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, wrote in the Subhi Sadek (the Revolutionary Guard's weekly newspaper), “we’ve got the ability to capture a nice bunch of blue-eyed blond-haired officers and feed them to our fighting cocks. Iran has enough people who can reach the heart of Europe and kidnap Americans and Israelis.”

 

[superbeets]

[h=1]UK naval crew describe their capture and detention by Iran[/h]

Friday, April 6, 2007



At a press conference held Friday at the Royal Marine Base Chivenor in Devon, first-hand details of the fifteen UK Royal Navy crew's capture and detention by Iran were revealed.
The fifteen navy crew, eight from the Royal Navy (RN) and seven from the Royal Marines (RM), arrived by helicopter at the base on Thursday. Following a period of debriefing and rest, the crew spoke at a press conference on Friday. Captain Christopher Air, RM, and Lieutenant Felix Carman, RN, spoke for the group.
Carman and Air thanked the staff of the British Embassy in Tehran, the Foreign Office, and Ministry of Defence for securing their release. In addition, Air stated that the crew "would like to thank the very many members of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines who have been working so hard over the last 2 weeks supporting our families and friends and for arranging our return to here."
Carman provided details of the navigational equipment and hand held GPS used by the UK crew. A support helicopter also provided continuous navigational confirmation. The boarding crew were linked electronically to HMS Cornwall, which monitored the crew's position continually. "Let me make it absolutely clear," said Carman. "Irrespective of what has been said in the past, when we were detained by the IRG we were inside internationally recognised Iraqi territorial waters and I can clearly state we were 1.7 nautical miles from Iranian waters."



Having boarded an unidentified merchant vessel in the Shatt Al Arab waterway, the crew were stopped by two Iranian boats, which prevented them from leaving. "When we tried to leave, they prevented us by blocking us in," explained Air. "By now it was becoming increasingly clear that they had arrived with a planned intent. Some of the Iranian sailors were becoming deliberately aggressive and unstable. They rammed our boat and trained their heavy machine guns, RPGs and weapons on us."
Six other Iranian boats arrived. "We made a conscious decision to not engage the Iranians and do as they asked," said Air. "They boarded our boats, removed our weapons and steered the boats towards the Iranian shore."
On arrival at an Iranian naval base, the UK crew were stripped of their gear, blindfolded, and led to an interrogation room. The following morning the group was flown to Tehran and transported to a prison where they faced "constant psychological pressure." The crew were stripped and dressed in pajamas. According to Carman, "the next few nights were spent in stone cells, approximately 8'x 6', sleeping on piles of blankets. All of us were kept in isolation."
They were interrogated most nights and offered two options. "If we admitted we had strayed, we would be on a plane back to the UK soon," said Carman. "If we didn't we faced up to seven years in prison." The crew were kept in isolation until the last few nights, when they were allowed to gather together for a couple of hours at a time.
On the subject of deciding to resist the Iranians or not, Air was adamant that it would have made the situation worse. "Let me be absolutely clear, from the outset it was very apparent that fighting back was simply not an option," said Air. "Had we chosen to do so then many of us would not be standing here today."

	Let me be absolutely clear, from the outset it was very apparent that fighting back was simply not an option
—Captain Christopher Air, Royal Marines​

 

[superbeets]

[h=1]2004 Iranian seizure of Royal Navy personnel[/h]

The 2004 Iranian seizure of Royal Navy personnel took place in the Shatt al-Arab (Arvand Rud in Persian) waterway on 21 June.

Six Royal Marines and two Royal Navy sailors were captured. The British servicemen were seized while training Iraqi river patrol personnel after Iran said they had strayed into the Iranian side of the waterway. They were threatened with legal action initially but released three days later following diplomatic discussions between Jack Straw, the British Foreign Secretary, and Kamal Kharazi, the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs. The British marines' weapons and boats were confiscated and have not been returned.[SUP][[/SUP]


They were released unharmed three days later, on 24 June, after the British and Iranian governments agreed there had been a misunderstanding. Their equipment was not returned and a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) was put on display in a museum in Tehran. During their detention, according to former detainee Marine Scott Fallon, they endured a mock execution in which they were marched into the desert and made to stand blindfolded in front of a ditch while their captors cocked their weapons.[SUP]]

[/SUP]

They also appeared blindfolded on Iranian TV, where they were forced to apologise for their "mistake".[SUP]][/SUP] The Royal Navy boats were operating close to the northern coast of the Persian Gulf in the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab waterway which divides southern Iran and Iraq. The weather was bad causing negligible visibility which may have contributed to a potential crossing of the Iranian border by the Royal Navy. After the crew were returned and events analysed the British government affirmed its belief that the personnel were actually still in Iraqi waters, however they consigned the incident to a misunderstanding and requested the return of the equipment.
[h=2][/h]

 

[superbeets]

[h=1]Iran 'frees US sailors held in Gulf'[/h]

• 6 minutes ago
  
  
  
  
  

 

[The Guesser]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...d-message-on-quick-release-of-u-s-navy-crews/

Released after less than a day. Thank G-d we have a POTUS in office that deals in diplomacy, and believes in speaking with our enemies, and not a stark raving lunatic that deals in inflammatory rhetoric, that would probably have us at war, when such an unfortunate incident happens.

 

[superbeets]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...d-message-on-quick-release-of-u-s-navy-crews/

Released after less than a day. Thank G-d we have a POTUS in office that deals in diplomacy, and believes in speaking with our enemies, and not a stark raving lunatic that deals in inflammatory rhetoric, that would probably have us at war, when such an unfortunate incident happens.

The blind leading the blind.



Jason Rezaian, 39

Rezaian, who was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and holds U.S.-Iranian citizenship, has been the Washington Post's Tehran correspondent since 2012.
He was arrested in July 2014 along with three other journalists, including his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, who works for the Abu Dhabi-based National newspaper. The other three were later freed, but Rezaian remained in custody.
He was eventually charged with espionage and other offenses including "collaborating with hostile governments" and "propaganda against the establishment." His employers at the Washington Post called the accusations completely unfounded.
Evidence presented at Rezaian's closed-door trial reportedly included an online job application he submitted in 2008 to then-President-elect Obama's transition team and a U.S. visa application filed on behalf of his wife.




Amir Hekmati, 32

Hekmati, a U.S. Marine veteran from Flint., Mich., was detained at the home of an Iranian relative in August 2011 and sentenced to death for espionage.
Iranian state television broadcast video of a purported confession by Hekmati in which he said he had been sent by the CIA to infiltrate the country's intelligence services. His family believes the statement was coerced.
"He was held in a 1-meter by 1-meter cell, allowed out for only 10 minutes a week to stretch his legs," his sister, Sarah Hekmati, told a congressional hearing in June. "He was beaten on his feet with cables, tasered repeatedly."
She said her brother was in Iran to visit an ailing grandmother and was assured before he went that his U.S. military service would not be an issue.
Hekmati, who was born and raised in the U.S., served as a Marine between 2001 and 2005, including a deployment to Iraq. He later worked as a contractor, providing linguistic and cultural education services to U.S. troops.
An Iranian appeals court overturned the verdict against him in March 2012 and ordered a new trial, which took place late the following year. He was then sentenced to 10 years in prison for "cooperating with hostile governments."




Saeed Abedini, 35

Abedini, a Christian pastor from Boise, Idaho, and father of two young children, was detained in September 2012 while on a visit to Iran, where he was born. He was accused of attempting to undermine national security by establishing churches in private homes.
His family and supporters say he was in the country to help establish an orphanage for street children. They believe he was targeted because he converted from Islam to Christianity and say he has endured repeated beatings by guards and fellow inmates at Rajai Shahr prison outside Tehran.
"My husband remains in prison for nothing more than the peaceful exercise of his faith," his wife, Naghmeh, said in a recent letter to Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, according to excerpts released by the American Center for Law and Justice, a conservative Christian-based group. "Saeed is not a threat to Iran or the stability of its government."




Robert Levinson, 67

The retired FBI agent from Coral Springs, Fla., disappeared in 2007.
For years, U.S. officials maintained that he was on a private business trip. Family members said he was working as a private investigator for corporate clients and had been sent to Iran to investigate the smuggling of contraband tobacco.
It later emerged that he was on a CIA contract. But according to reports by several news outlets, he answered to analysts who did not have authority to run intelligence-gathering operations, and several agency officials were forced to resign over the affair.
Iran's government has never acknowledged holding Levinson, as it did with the other Americans. But Rouhani suggested in a 2013 interview that the country's intelligence services might be willing to help search for him.
The family received "proof of life" in the form of a video sent in November 2010 in which a haggard-looking Levinson begged the U.S. government to respond to the requests of unidentified captors. Six months later, photographs arrived of him wearing an orange jumpsuit and holding signs written in poor English, including one saying, "Why you can not help me."

"We are extremely worried about his health," Levinson's eldest son, Daniel, told the June congressional hearing. "He is 67 years old, with several pressing health concerns including diabetes, hypertension and gout."

 

[ScottL]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...d-message-on-quick-release-of-u-s-navy-crews/

Released after less than a day. Thank G-d we have a POTUS in office that deals in diplomacy, and believes in speaking with our enemies, and not a stark raving lunatic that deals in inflammatory rhetoric, that would probably have us at war, when such an unfortunate incident happens.

You know what I find ironic? When you battle with people in here you always resort to the nuclear option. Yet you always prefer your country hold back.

 

[ScottL]

Anthony Bourdain Calls Journalist Jason Rezaian's Espionage Conviction a 'Sickening Injustice'
by Khushbu Shah

Anthony Bourdain/Facebook
Jason Rezaian, Yeganeh Salehi, and Anthony Bourdain.

Rezaian and his wife appeared on an episode of 'Parts Unknown.'

In a politically shocking development, the Tehran Revolutionary Court has convicted Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian on espionage charges, reports the USA Today. Rezaian and his wife Yeganeh Salehi, who is also a journalist, appeared on the Iran episode of Parts Unknown. Rezaian was arrested shortly after the episode was filmed. Host Anthony Bourdain, who has been vocal about the arrest since it happened, tweeted today that the arrest is "a sickening injustice against a man who loved Iran."

Bourdain — who dined with Rezaian and Salehi in Tehran — wrote a guest column in the Washington Post last year that the couple was "deeply proud of their heritage and the country they were helping to show me." Bourdain chatted with CNN's Anderson Cooper last September and revealed during the interview that the arrest had left him "horrified." Bourdain added: "I just met and talked at length with a guy who was so positive about Iran. So positive about the possibilities for a better future."

The Washington Post has released a statement regarding the ruling calling it an "outrageous injustice." The statement continues: "Jason is a victim — arrested without cause, held for months in isolation, without access to a lawyer, subjected to physical mistreatment and psychological abuse, and now convicted without basis." The paper says that it is working with Rezaian's family and Iranian counsel "to pursue an immediate appeal."

 

[Dave007inVegas]

The Guesser taking it up the preverbal poop shoot once again. Good job Beets.

 

[The Guesser]

You know what I find ironic? When you battle with people in here you always resort to the nuclear option. Yet you always prefer your country hold back.

I prefer my Country not be in unnecessary wars . Thank G-d we have a level headed POTUS. An incident like like this with one of these sick, power Hungry, USA Chanting Bozos running for POTUS(that includes Hillary), or who have recently run for POTUS, likely would have ended far differently. And 80% of the posters in this dump would have sent troops and/or Nukes to Iran for this unfortunate but ultimately quickly solvable with diplomacy incident.

 

[Acebb]

I prefer my Country not be in unnecessary wars . Thank G-d we have a level headed POTUS.

Yeah, his war of choice in Libya was real "level headed"

 

[Acebb]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...d-message-on-quick-release-of-u-s-navy-crews/

Released after less than a day.

Notice how curious you are about how & why this happened.

Where, exactly, were our Navy boats captured?
Why did state-run Iranian media say our sailors were "arrested"?
Was any U.S. equipment removed?

You don't care. You are a low IQ, low information voter.

 

[Acebb]

Since you enjoy pictures so much

On State TV

Iranian soldier reviewing orders & security protocol of US Navy vessel

On state TV, no less

Also on state TV, US military personnel passports

Keep clapping, you Iranian dick sucking apologist.

 

[Acebb]

The release of those photos is a violation of the Geneva Conventions.

Look at how upset guesser is.

 

[The Guesser]

Since you enjoy pictures so much

On State TV

Iranian soldier reviewing orders & security protocol of US Navy vessel

On state TV, no less

Also on state TV, US military personnel passports

Keep clapping, you Iranian dick sucking apologist.

Sorry, you sick, Lying WELCHER. You didn't get War with Iran today like you hoped.

 

[superbeets]

Kerry thanks Iran

Secretary of State John Kerry thanked the Iranians “for their cooperation in swiftly resolving this matter” and suggested that the quick resolution of the issue was a product of the nearly daily back-and-forth that now takes place between Washington and Tehran, after three decades of hostility and stony silence.
“That this issue was resolved peacefully and efficiently is a testament to the critical role diplomacy plays in keeping our country safe, secure and strong,” he said in a statement Wednesday morning.



THANKS FOR HUMILIATING THE USA


Iran shows pictures and video around the Arab world and the rest of the world.

USA service men surrendering sat down hands on heads, not manning guns and resisting capture.

Female sailor having to wear head scarf.

​

 

[superbeets]

Sorry, you sick, Lying WELCHER. You didn't get War with Iran today like you hoped.

No instead humiliation.