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US Files Formal Protest to Iran Over Ship Incident

Posted Jan 10, 08 4:28 PM CST in World 

(Newser) – The US sent a formal diplomatic complaint to Iran today over what it calls the "provocative" harassment of American ships by Iranian speedboats, the AP reports. Iran, meanwhile, released its own video of the encounter in the Persian Gulf, which it says backs up its contention that the US is lying. A Pentagon spokesman dismissed  that claim today.

It's unclear what impact the US complaint will have, but the incident has added to the growing strain between the two governments. President Bush has warned of "serious consequences" if it happens again. An Iranian naval officer says the Bush administration made the whole thing up because it "is in need of such media fuss in order to reach its specific political goals.”

Source Reuters

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A US naval ship is purportedly seen in this image taken from TV Thursday Jan. 10, 2008. Iranian state TV aired video Thursday purporting to show a weekend standoff between small Iranian boats and US naval...   (Associated Press)
The U.S. Navy's Ticonderoga class cruiser USS Port Royal, equiped with AEGIS combat systems, and "Tomahawk" ASM/LAM cruise missiles, patrols in the Persian Gulf in this 1997 file photo. Iranian boats...   (Associated Press)
President Bush speaks in the Rose Garden, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008, after meeting with the Iraq Provincial Reconstruction Team at the White House in Washington. Bush commented that Iran's confrontation with...   (Associated Press)
An Iranian Revolutionary Guard officer on a small Iranian craft is seen in the foreground with what purportedly shows US naval ships in the background in this image taken from TV Thursday Jan. 10, 2008....   (Associated Press)
A small Iranian craft is seen in the foreground with what purportedly shows US naval ships in the background in this image taken from TV Thursday Jan. 10, 2008. Iranian state TV aired video Thursday purporting...   (Associated Press)
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Iran  • US Navy  • Tehran  • Persian Gulf  • Strait of Hormuz  • Iranian speedboats


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