Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search
Newser - Current News - Breaking Stories

« Back to the grid | Next story »

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

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • New Ship a 'Reminder' to Iran: Gates

    Apr 30, 08 6:36 AM CDT
    New Ship a 'Reminder' to Iran: Gates A second US aircraft carrier steamed into the Persian Gulf yesterday, which Robert Gates says Iran should see as a "reminder." The defense secretary denied that the deployment of another ship in the Gulf amounted to an escalation of American forces in the area, Reuters reports, but hoped to get Tehran's attention with the extra vessel's presence. More »

  • Heckler May Have Menaced Navy Ships

    Jan 14, 08 6:59 PM CST
    Heckler May Have Menaced Navy Ships Threats transmitted during a recent faceoff between US Navy vessels and Iranian boats may have come from a prankster known as the “Filipino Monkey,” the Navy Times reports. Towards the end of last month's faceoff in the Strait of Hormuz, a voice transmitted: “I am coming to you. You will explode in a few minutes.” Iran says the US lied about the threats; now Navy officials say they may have come from shore. More »

  • Boat Face-Off Reveals Iran Tactics: US

    Jan 12, 08 5:05 PM CST
    Boat Face-Off Reveals Iran Tactics: US Objects tossed from Iranian boats posed no threat to US ships last Sunday, the Navy said yesterday, but did reveal Tehran's warfare tactics. The incident was also one of three between US and Iranian ships over the past month: In the first face-off, Dec. 19, the USS Whidbey Island fired warning shots at a small Iranian boat that passed within 500 yards, the Washington Post reports. More »

  • Iran Claims US Navy Video Was 'Fabricated'

    Jan 9, 08 7:34 AM CST
    A video of a tense encounter between US Navy ships and Iranian speedboats is a fake, Iran claims. "The footage released by the US Navy was compiled using file pictures and the audio has been fabricated," an unnamed official in the Revolutionary Guards tells the state-run Press TV. On the video, a voice can be heard threatening the US sailors, and the Iranians are warned several times they risk being fired upon. More »

  • Washington Slams Iran Over Ship Threat

    Jan 7, 08 10:54 AM CST
    Washington Slams Iran Over Ship Threat Washington is firing diplomatic volleys at Tehran today after five Iranian ships "harassed" three US Navy ships in international waters yesterday, CNN reports. "Such actions are dangerous and could have quickly escalated into something much worse," the Pentagon press secretary said. "We see it as further evidence that Iran is unpredictable and remains a threat." Tehran shrugged off the encounter as "ordinary." More »

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)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Related Threads

(1 of 2)

Tags

Iran • US Navy • Tehran • Persian Gulf • Strait of Hormuz • Iranian speedboats


Loading...

Today's Most Popular

[ Stories ]

Threads

Loading...

Other World Stories