US Navy rescues Iranian sailors from pirates

[rightwinger]

U.S. Navy rescues Iranian sailors from pirates


A U.S. Navy ship in the northern Arabian Sea has rescued 13 Iranian sailors who had been held captive by pirates for several weeks, the Navy says in a statement.

The statement says the guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd on Thursday came upon a pirate skiff alongside the Iranian-flagged fishing vessel, the Al Molai, at about the same time that the master of the Iranian ship sent out a distress call claiming he was being held captive by pirates.

A team from the Kidd boarded the Al Molai and detained 15 suspected pirates who had apparently been holding the Iranian crew hostage for several weeks, the Navy says.


CNN notes that Iranian officials, earlier this week, warned the United States over the presence of the Stennis in the area.

 

[g5000]

Good work, swabbies!

 

[NLT]

Go navy

 

[Douger]

Now they can get a lift back home and be killed when IsNtReal and The Great Satan decide to plant FreeDumb and Demoncracy.

 

[rightwinger]

Not too shabby for a bunch of infidels

 

[Moonglow]

U.S. Navy rescues Iranian sailors from pirates


A U.S. Navy ship in the northern Arabian Sea has rescued 13 Iranian sailors who had been held captive by pirates for several weeks, the Navy says in a statement.

The statement says the guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd on Thursday came upon a pirate skiff alongside the Iranian-flagged fishing vessel, the Al Molai, at about the same time that the master of the Iranian ship sent out a distress call claiming he was being held captive by pirates.

A team from the Kidd boarded the Al Molai and detained 15 suspected pirates who had apparently been holding the Iranian crew hostage for several weeks, the Navy says.


CNN notes that Iranian officials, earlier this week, warned the United States over the presence of the Stennis in the area.

Hurray for the Red, White and Blue!

 

[waltky]

Are we good buddies again now?...

Iran Welcomes US Rescue of Iranians Held by Pirates
January 07, 2012 - Iran has welcomed the U.S. Navy's rescue of 13 Iranians who were held hostage by pirates in the Arabian Sea.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast called the rescue a "humanitarian" act, in comments to Iran's state-run broadcaster Al-Alam. But Iran's semi-official Fars news agency dismissed the rescue as a "Hollywood" dramatization of a routine incident. The rescue was carried out Thursday by a U.S. Navy destroyer escorting the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, days after Iran warned U.S. warships not to return to the Persian Gulf.

The U.S. Navy said Friday military personnel from the destroyer USS Kidd boarded an Iranian fishing vessel, the Al Molai, and detained 15 pirates holding the Iranians hostage. The Navy said it detected the pirates' skiff alongside the Al Molai on Thursday after receiving a distress call from the Iranian ship. The Iranian vessel had been under pirate control for more than a month.

The pirates, believed to be Somalis, were put in detention at sea on the USS John C. Stennis. Iran recently threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, in the Persian Gulf, and warned the U.S. not to operate aircraft carriers in the area, something the U.S. Navy routinely does. U.S. officials have made clear that operations will continue as usual in the Gulf.

Source

 

[Steelplate]

What's it say about the Iranian Navy if they get captured by pirates?

 

[waltky]

Is cause dey spend so much time ridin' camels, dey don't learn how to swim...

US ships 'in second rescue of Iranians in Gulf'
10 January 2012 - The US Coast Guard cutter Monomoy was involved in Tuesday's rescue

A US ship has picked up Iranians in trouble at sea, in the second such rescue in less than a week, the Pentagon has said. US Coast Guard cutter Monomoy rescued six Iranian mariners after their vessel broke down in the Gulf. One of the six had suffered burns and is receiving treatment, Pentagon spokesman George Little told reporters. The US Navy rescued 13 Iranian fishermen last Thursday after they were captured by Somali pirates. Both incidents come at a time of heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.

'Humanitarian gesture'

In the latest incident, the six Iranians were some 50 miles (90km) south-east of the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr when they got into trouble early on Tuesday, Mr Little said. The crew used flares and flashlights to hail the passing Monomoy. The vessel's master indicated "that the engine room was flooding and [the ship was] not seaworthy", Mr Little added. The Pentagon said the Iranian mariners would be repatriated, although it has not yet been determined how. Last Thursday, forces assigned to the John C Stennis aircraft carrier group - on its way from the Gulf to Afghanistan - received a distress call from the Al Molai fishing vessel.

The ship had been boarded by pirates in the Arabian Sea more than a month ago, and its crew had been kept in "harsh conditions", the Pentagon said at the time. A US Navy spokesman said the force went out of its way to "treat the fishing crew with kindness and respect" and provided them with fuel and food for their return journey home. Washington says its forces routinely rescue sailors in distress - regardless of nationality - but wanted to highlight the two recent incidents in light of the current tensions between the two countries.

Tehran has not commented on Tuesday's incident, but described last Thursday's rescue as a "humanitarian gesture". However, days earlier Tehran had warned the carrier not to return to the region once it left for Afghanistan. Faced with the prospect of fresh sanctions over its nuclear programme, Iran has threatened to block the transport of oil through the Strait of Hormuz. Washington has rejected Iran's warning to keep its forces out of Gulf waters, and has warned it will resist any attempt by Tehran to close the Strait.

BBC News - US ships 'in second rescue of Iranians in Gulf'

 

[waltky]

Tryin' to get dat CIA spy dey just caught exchanged...

Iran keeps issuing threats, US keeps saving Iranian sailors
January 10, 2012 - As Iran has been promoting its naval prowess and ability to shut the Straits of Hormuz, US naval assets have been busy rescuing Iranian sailors.

The information warriors at the Pentagon probably can't believe their luck. Iran has spent much of the past month crowing about how it could shut down the Strait of Hormuz -- a choke-point for vast quantities of seaborne oil for nearly 40 percent of the world -- and said it was "warning" the US to keep its ships out of the Persian Gulf. The US, as a far greater naval power, with a naval base in Bahrain, and an interest in keeping sea lanes open, brushed off the Iranian threat. Though tensions have continued to rise, with Iran sentencing Iranian-American Amir Mirzaei Hekmati to death yesterday for allegedly spying (his family says he returned to Iran to visit his grandmother) and new US sanctions on Iran's central bank, two peaceful opportunities to underscore the US naval reach in the region literally fell into America's lap.

Last week, the Navy destroyer USS Kidd swept in and rescued 13 Iranian fishermen who'd been held hostage on their small boat by Somali pirates for over a month. The fishermen, who'd been through a "horrific" ordeal according to one of their American rescuers, were given food, medical treatment, and enough fuel to steam home. Today, the US Coast Guard got into the act. The Coast Guard provides security for the US 5th Fleet, based in Bahrain and patrols the Persian Gulf. Patrol boat Monomoy responded to a distress call from the Iranian cargo dhow, Ya-Hussayn, at about 3 am this morning. The boat was taking on water and had a fire in the engine room and the Monomoy took its six person crew aboard.

The US sailors gave the Iranians a halal meal ("Halal meals are in accordance with Islamic law and are stored aboard U.S. Coast Guard ships to provide to Muslim mariners in distress," the US 5th Fleet helpfully explains), blankets, and minor medical assistance before transferring them to the Iranian Coast Guard's Naji 7 an hour and a half later. Small cargo boats routinely ply the waters of the Gulf from Iran to Dubai, Manama, and other entrepôts on the Arab western coast. Though the word "dhow" was traditionally used to describe single-masted vessels, rigged with triangular sails, it's sometimes used generically for "cargo boat" in the region.

In the past, Iranian forces haven't been as friendly to civilian mariners in the Gulf. In 2009, Iran's navy seized a British yacht in the Strait of Hormuz, which is just 30 miles wide at its narrowest point and the gateway to the Gulf. The Kingdom of Bahrain's five crew members were held for a few days in Iran and at one point threatened with prosecution before their release. In 2007, Iran seized and held 15 British sailors and marines who allegedly entered Iranian waters while they were patrolling the Iraqi coast. It released them after two weeks.

Source

 

[waltky]

Uncle Ferd says dey best stick to ridin' camels - dey ain't worth squat inna boat...

U.S. Navy Says It Rescues Iran Fishing Vessel
Thursday, January 19, 2012 - The U.S. Navy says it led a rescue operation to help the crew of a sinking Iranian fishing vessel in the Persian Gulf in the third such operation in two weeks.

The Navy said in a statement that a Seahawk helicopter from the guided-missile destroyer "USS Dewey" spotted the sinking boat, named "Al Mamsoor," with one crew member aboard on January 19. A navy vessel towed it to two other fishing boats in the area.

The Navy said the "Al Mamsoor" crew had struggled with flooding for three days before abandoning the boat. The Navy provided them with 68 kilograms of food.

On January 6, a U.S. Navy destroyer rescued fishermen on an Iranian boat held captive by pirates in the Gulf. On January 10, another U.S. military ship rescued six Iranians from their distressed cargo ship in the Persian Gulf.

The rescues come amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran over Tehran's threat to block the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic oil-shipping waterway in the Gulf.

U.S. Navy Says It Rescues Iran Fishing Vessel

 

[Steelplate]

You think the "kill them with kindness" thing will work with these extremists? I have my doubts.

 

[waltky]

Uncle Ferd says its a new Iranian secret weapon - keeps our navy so busy recuin' Iranian sailors, it can't fight...

US Navy rescues Iranian sailor after boat capsizes
March 05, 2012 | The U.S. Navy says it has rescued an Iranian merchant seaman and recovered the bodies of three others after their boat capsized during rough weather in the Gulf.

U.S. Navy vessels and helicopters called off the search Sunday for two remaining members of the Iranian crew because of harsh conditions, including 30-knot winds and waves up to eight feet, that made chances of survival slim.

The Navy says it launched the rescue mission Saturday after spotting a life raft with one survivor, who said their boat went down late Friday. The bodies of three crew members were later found.

The Navy says the survivor was transferred to an Iranian coast guard vessel Saturday. The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet is based in Bahrain.

Read more: US Navy Rescues Iranian Sailor After Boat Capsizes | Fox News