Iranian Patrol boats threaten US Warships

[Razor61]

Although not Aviation related (although i'm sure the US Navy put up their Helo's)
News is reporting that five Iranian Gunboats approached US Navy ships transiting the Straight of Hormuz with transmissions picked up saying "We are coming at you, you will explode in a few minutes".
According to unamed sources, the USN were 'very' close to opening fire.

So, what would happen if the USN did open fire on 5 Iranian patrol boats even though they approached with threatening action?

I wonder what would have happened if it was a Nimitz class or any other type of Carrier that was being approached?

[GPMG]

Surely the SOP is to put your hands up, surrender, and sell your stories to the National Inquirer?

[ORAC]

CNN: ........In one radio transmission, the Iranians told the U.S. Navy: "I am coming at you. You will explode in a couple of minutes," the U.S. military officials told CNN.

When the U.S. ships heard that radio transmission, they manned their gun positions and officers were "in the process" of giving the order to fire when the Iranians abruptly turned away, the U.S. officials said.....

One of the Iranian ships had been dropping white boxes into the water in front of the U.S. ships, the officials told CNN.

[Mike Oxmels]

So, what would happen if the USN did open fire on 5 Iranian patrol boats even though they approached with threatening action?

The Iranians would deny any provocation, claim American aggression and use it as an excuse to escalate, possibly including more overt cross border meddling in Iraq and The Stan. Despite his 'eccentricities' I would have thought ImMadAsADinnerJacket would hold back from trying to kick off anything too serious until he had a funtioning nuclear weapon. Therefore I wonder if this was the result of a local commander getting over excited without top level authorisation.

[round&round]

"So, what would happen if the USN did open fire on 5 Iranian patrol boats even though they approached with threatening action?"

Hummm,

I think they'd sink!!!

[ORAC]

Or an attempt at provoking an incident to overshadow/disrupt Bush's one week visit to the Middle East starting tomorrow....

[Woff1965]

Surely blow up and sink!

[Double Zero]

I don't know of any details of course, but on the face of it, whether this was a local 'commander' trying to make a name for himself, or something more organised, it seems some U.S. Officers are to be highly slapped on the back for cool judgement - it were me, the heroic patrol boats may well have had nasty pointy things coming their way !

[EchoMike]

US military budget in 2005 alone was $421 Billion dollars plus another $75 Billion for Iran/Afghanistan operations.

Iran's military budget in 2005 was $4.9 Billion dollars.

This does not take into account inventory left over from previous years, nor does it take into account qualitative differences in the equipment OR the personnel. It also does not take into account the cooperation (public or covert) of some other nations in the area, who are not exactly best friends with Iran. (I can think of at least one such neighbor with a very capable military.)

If the US does decide to move against Iran, it is going to be an unholy mess and the Iranians are going to quickly come out very second best.

The politicians on both sides are stupid - the US has a one-track mind right now about Iran, and Iran is convinced that the US is about to attack, so they keep on yelling about how tough they are, and trying to prove it by continually tugging on Superman's cape - which is a mistake on their part.

This is going to be a self-fulfilling prophecy - Iran will lose the fight, big time, everyone will lose the war.

I don't want to think what a barrel of oil will cost . . .

Best Regards,

Echo Mike

[Double Zero]

I wasn't commenting on the 'big picture' personally - though I have to sadly agree with your summary, the gist being that 'Iran would lose any fight, big time, while everyone would lose the war'.

I was simply saying that from the small amount of info' on earlier posts I can glean here - and not knowing the ranges or actual U.S.warships involved - I think it appears to show admirable constraint & discipline from the U.S. involved.

Myself, and I haven't a big red 'phone on my desk I'll admit, I don't think the U.S. are going to deal with Iran except possibly in more subtle but still effective ways, for the foreseeable future.

[Razor61]

Surely the SOP is to put your hands up, surrender, and sell your stories to the National Inquirer?

Perhaps the Americans have the balls to do what we didn't. I can't see any crew from a US Warship in the Straight of Hormuz surrendering.
As the sources said, the Iranians turned around "right at the moment" the USN were going to open fire...

What did we do? Sit there and watch them take RN and RM personnel hostage of which took what, 15 days to get them back without their boat and weapons...

[Double Zero]

I think you refer to a sad example of 'everything that could go wrong, did go wrong'...and the simple fact that the R.N. have vastly inferior kit ( in every way inc. intel' assets / access not just boats ) compared to the U.S.N; and I doulbt the latter were low-crewed or daft / inexperienced enough ( take your pick ) to put young apparently under-trained people inc. women into that situation - it may well have seemed a 'jolly' on a sunny day - .

If you were an Iranian gunboat type, how would you rate your chances of getting away with it a second time ?

[Razor61]

Two F/A-18's collide over the Gulf

Two F/A-18 Hornets collided over the Persian Gulf today (Monday) and all three crew were rescued and taken back to the H.S Truman in good nick.

DoD stresses that they were not in relation to the incident involving Iranian Fast Attack boats and USN Warships.

[Razor61]

Maybe the Iranians smoke weed like the Afghan Army do when fighting alongside the British in Helmand...
As was shown on TV, the weed smoking Afghans stood up and stayed up firing in full view of the Taliban afterwards to the amazement of the British.

Perhaps the Iranians have the same 'head on' when going about their daily jollies in the Persian Gulf.

With the communications intercepted "We are coming at you, you will explode in several minutes" it wouldn't surprise me one bit.... sounds like they could have been on something just to say that sentence!

[mr fish]

er, we've been here before i think, gulf of tongking 1963, when vietnamese boats supposedly fired on uss maddox(destroyer). later proved to be a hoax which paved the way for usa to massively increase forces in the nam. still what the hell, (coughs to clear throat) BLOW THE UNGODLY HEATHENS TO KINGDOM COME, etc etc

[Double Zero]

'Weed smoking gung-ho ?!'

Well I can honestly say, happily, I know very little about narcotics - but I thought 'weed' refers to Hashish or Mariuana - both forms of 'pot' as far as I make out ( what's the difference between them ? seriously ...) , but also both well known for making the subject 'mellow' & peaceful, as I've heard, so hardly the most fearsome fighting Terminators !

I'd have thought alcohol is one of the worst drugs for causing aggresive behaviour ( or I suppose in this example one of the 'best' if it's against foes ) - but the stuff the Afghans are keen to farm & sell - basically Opium in it's several end-product low-life forms - is apparently indeed powerful, though whether it makes one incredibly brave or just plain stupid is up for the more stable minded present to comment if they can.

All in all sounds a bit like a poor 'Boy's Own' story - " the drug cazed fuzzy-wuzzies ran at them ..."

[GeeRam]

.....the drug cazed fuzzy-wuzzies ran at them....

Getting close to Cpl Jones speak there.....

They didn't like it up 'em either........them fuzzy-wuzzies.....

[EchoMike]

http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/pdfs/iran.pdf


Someone might want to tell this particular batch of Iranians that there are far less complex ways to commit suicide.


Reminds me of a similar situation off Somalia last summer - local talent in three speedboats attack a US navy guided missile cruiser and a destroyer, come on with all guns (couple of AK-47s and a grenade launcher) blazing. Action over in 15 seconds - three speedboats sunk, half the bad guys dead, no damage to the big gray ships at all.

When asked "what the f**k were you thinking?", the surviving leader of the bad guys said "We had you outnumbered - there were three of us and only two of you."

Sheesh.

Best Regards,

Echo Mike

[Double Zero]

Yes,

The phrase 'suicide squad', as in Monty Python's ' Life of Brian ' occurred to me too...still I suppose if one get's away with it, what's the Iranian for " Oh my feet are killing me ! " - " Anyway, what did you do at the office today dear ? "

Gee-Ram - " Don't Panic !" it worked for us Brits' in both Corproral Jones' time and the Hithchikers' Guide to the Galaxy - so must be right.

I still say,it would seem the U.S. are to be commended for their judgement on this latest fast boat call.

[brickhistory]

er, we've been here before i think, gulf of tongking 1963, when vietnamese boats supposedly fired on uss maddox(destroyer). later proved to be a hoax which paved the way for usa to massively increase forces in the nam. still what the hell, (coughs to clear throat) BLOW THE UNGODLY HEATHENS TO KINGDOM COME, etc etc

Interesting. The Iranians demonstrated the ability to do such a thing and capture your personnel, but for us, it's a self-driven pretext to escalate.

Did I capture (no pun intended) your point?