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Ear to the Ground

Questions, Tensions Linger Over U.S.-Iran Face-Off at Sea

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Posted on Jan 15, 2008
iranian ship
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One of the Iranian boats that the U.S. Navy says caused an incident in the Strait of Hormuz.

As President Bush continues to issue stern warnings to Iran about its current threat level, some key questions persist about the alleged confrontation between American and Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz early Jan. 6—not the least of which has to do with the U.S. Navy’s claim that the American ships were in international waters at the time of the incident.


Asia Times Online:

Thus there is the issue of the exact whereabouts of the US ships at the time of the standoff with the Iranian boats manned by the IRGC patrolling the area. According to Vice Admiral Kevin Cosgiff, the US ships were “five kilometers outside Iranian territorial waters”. Yet, this is disputed by another dispatch from the US ships that states, “I am engaged in transit passage in accordance with international law.”

Given that the approximately three-kilometer-wide inbound traffic lane in the Strait of Hormuz is within Iran’s territorial water, the US Navy’s invocation of “transit passage” harking back to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is hardly surprising.

Although the US has yet to ratify the UNCLOS, it has been a strong advocate of its provisions regarding navigational rights, thus explaining the US officers’ availing themselves of “international law”. 

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By cyrena, January 15 at 11:52 pm #

Patrick Henry,
Actually, there’s more than just that one. I think at least 5 now, -in the general vicinity- of the Strait. I can’t remember all of the names, because they rotate them around. But, here’s an article from last year, when they did a ceremonial entrance with NINE of them. I don’t think all nine are in the IMMEDIATE area now, but there are enough of them to drop the price of gas by a couple of bucks at least, according to your estimates. And, we could really use the personnel here at home.

Nine US Warships Enter Gulf in Show of Force
By Mohammed Abbas
Reuters
Wednesday 23 May 2007

Nine U.S. warships carrying 17,000 personnel entered the Gulf on Wednesday in a show of force off Iran’s coast that navy officials said was the largest daytime assembly of ships since the 2003 Iraq war.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/052307K.shtml

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By cyrena, January 15 at 11:42 pm #

Well, now that you mention it, maybe so.  Actually, I think it was Louise who noted from the photo a couple of days ago, (when he was still in Israel) that those Franciscan Priests he was standing on the dock with, were probably trying to restrain him from trying to walk across the Sea of Galilee then.(or part the waters, or whatever).

But of course without constant supervision, he could have slipped away and tried it again with water skis there in the Hormuz Strait. So yeah, I didn’t notice at first, but I’m not surprised. (Surprised he could water ski, but not that he would try to walk the waters).

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By purplewolf, January 15 at 8:45 pm #

Waxman, your comment makes to much sense for this bully/spoiled brat child. Besides, when ever does a bully actually fight in the incidents that he starts. It is always done by others. I do agree that he should do this invansion all by himself. It might build some character for him, something he sorely lacks.

And for as our friends helping him with this war, what friends are those? The ones we pay to be our friends? It proves he is out of touch with reality.

Bush has been famous for his gag orders in his first term, where they literaly duct taped peoples mouths shut. Now it’s Bushs turn to have the Gag order” treatment done to him.

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By Dr. Knowitall, PhD, PhD, January 15 at 5:38 pm #

Did anyone else make out the image of Bush waterskiing behind one of those speedboats?

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By Louise, January 15 at 4:00 pm #

Bush and Cheney and their obedient staff of liars want the strait!

And here we thought it was all about oil ... duh

Meanwhile rumor has it that a letter was passed to staff during the meeting in Abu Dhabi saying, “Please give to president George.”

When opened it said, simply:

Dear Dubya,
Stick a sock in it!
[you’re making our friends uncomfortable]
Love, mom and dad.

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By PatrickHenry, January 15 at 3:52 pm #

Dock the Battle groups. 

Wasteful consumption.  I bet the price of gas would drop $.50 cent per gallon by curtailing that provocative war machine we have floating around.

A tremendous amount of Petroleum/Oil/Lubricants are being squandered in the non productive endeavour we are in the Middleast.

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By cyrena, January 15 at 1:57 pm #

Humm, I wondered if this would come up, (and actually make it to our own eyes/ears) since I questioned this from the jump. Specifically, I was trying to figure out how the US Navy was claiming to be in ‘transit passage’, which obviously is a LIE, since they’ve been camped out there for years, just possibly rotating vessels. And, the only thing that makes this area of the Gulf or the Hormuz Strait ‘international waters’ is for the purposes of trade. Since when did the US Navy become involved in TRADE. (do the Merchant Marines still exist?).

And referencing the UNCLOS sounds a bit like Israel referencing the NPT regards to maintaining nuclear WMD.

These folks are just too much; Sitting on Iran’s front porch with a full compliment of war ships, and claiming Iran to be the aggressor. When does the insanity stop?

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By waxman, January 15 at 12:27 pm #

TO SAVE THE TAXPAYERS SOME MONEY AND SINCE BUSH IS SUCH A BADA*S, WHY DOSEN’T HE JUST INVADE IRAN BY HIMSELF SINCE HES ALREADY THERE ?????

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