[R-G] Iranian Video 'Shows No Threat to US Navy'

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

"Iran: Strait of Hormuz Incident from the Point of View of Iran":
<http://www.politube.org/show/341>

<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;;?xml=/news/2008/01/10/wiran110.xml>
Iranian video 'shows no threat to US navy'

By Richard Holt
Last Updated: 2:15pm GMT 10/01/2008

Iran has released a video which is claimed to show that its boats did
not threaten US navy vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as has been
claimed by the Americans.

The confrontation at the weekend in the strategically vital Gulf
waterway was described by President George W Bush as a "provocative
act".

A Pentagon spokesman had said that five Iranian Revolutionary Guard
Navy boats harassed and provoked three US ships, giving a radio
warning saying: "I am coming at you. You will explode in a couple of
minutes."

The Americans said the Iranian boats came within 200 yards of the US
vessels, which were sailing in international waters.

The Pentagon released its own video which it claimed backed up their claims.

But the new video, broadcast by Iran's Press TV satellite station,
gives a completely different version of the incident.

Press TV said the video, released by Iran's Revolutionary Guards a day
after the force dismissed the Pentagon video as fake, included a
recording of what it said was the exchange between the two sides.

Guards Brigadier General Ali Fadavi said Iran's boats had only
approached the US ships to examine the registration numbers as they
had been unreadable, Press TV said.

The video showed an Iranian naval officer on a small boat speaking via
radio to a ship which can not be clearly identified. A total of three
ships can be seen on the video.

The Iranian officer says: "Coalition warship 73 this Iranian navy patrol boat"

"This is coalition warship 73. I read you loud and clear," the person
replied in what appears to be an American accent.

The Iranian officer then appears to ask for the ships to identify
themselves, although not all his words can be understood:

"Coalition warship 73 this Iranian navy patrol boat, request side
number ... operating in the area this time," the Iranian voice says.

Gen Fadavi, describing the Iranian action as normal inspections of
vessels, accused the United States of creating a "media fuss",
according to Iran's Fars news agency.

"The governing system of America, at the time of Bush's failed trip to
the region, is in need of such media fuss in order to reach its
specific political goals," he said.

In contrast, the Pentagon video included a voice from a US ship
informing one of the small craft that it was "straying into danger and
may be subject to defensive measures".

President Bush has warned Iran of "serious consequences" if it
attacked US ships in the Gulf and reiterated his country's strategic
position towards the Islamic Republic by stressing that "all options
are on the table".

The incident is the latest sign of tension between Washington and
Teheran. It coincides with Mr Bush's visit to the Middle East this
week.

--
Yoshie
<http://montages.blogspot.com/>