Iran Captures And Relases 10 US Navy Sailors

[Ryan Ruck]

Been busy and just now getting around to posting anything about this.

This happened yesterday.

More and more like the Carter years on steroids with each passing day.

Iran Releases 10 US Navy Sailors After Boat Drifted In Persian Gulf

January 13, 2016

Iran's Revolutionary Guard released 10 U.S. Navy sailors who were detained after two small Riverine boats crossed into Iranian territorial waters, the Pentagon confirmed Wednesday.

A statement said that the sailors and the boats left the Iranian naval base where they had been held shortly before 9 a.m. GMT (4 a.m. EST). The nine men and one woman were later transferred ashore by Navy aircraft, while the boats continued toward Bahrain, their intended destination. There was no indication the sailors had been harmed.

In a written statement, Secretary of State John Kerry thanked Iranian authorities “for their cooperation ‎in swiftly resolving this matter.”

A senior State Department official, though, told Fox News that there was “no apology from Kerry” to the Iranians.

A U.S. official told Fox News that the sailors were initially taken to the guided-missile cruiser USS Anzio before flying to the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman for additional debriefing.

"The first concern is the safety and well being of the crew and then we will investigate the incident," the official said. The Pentagon statement also promised the Navy would "investigate the circumstances that led to the Sailors' presence in Iran."

Officials are still uncertain of how Iranian forces managed to commandeer the two boats. The U.S. official told Fox News that a mechanical problem on at least one of the boats could not be ruled out, but could not explain how both boats were able to get underway in such a short time if one did have a propulsion issue, which would have caused it to stop running and drift into Iranian territorial waters.

It was not immediately clear whether the U.S. and Iran had made a specific arrangement to secure the sailors’ release. The Iran Revolutionary Guard’s naval chief said earlier Wednesday that Iran’s foreign minister had demanded an apology from the U.S. for entering Iranian waters.

Gen. Ali Fadavi also told state TV Wednesday that the American boats showed "unprofessional acts" for 40 minutes before being picked up by Iranian forces.

"Certainly U.S. presence in Persian Gulf and their passage has never been innocent and we do not deem their passage as innocent," Fadavi said, adding that Iran Foreign Minister Javad Zarif "had a firm stance (during a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry) on their presence in our territorial waters and said they should not have come and should apologize."

The incident came amid heightened tensions with Iran, and only hours before President Barack Obama gave his final State of the Union address to Congress and the public. Obama did not mention the sailors in his speech, which lasted approximately one hour.

After the address, Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., the ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, expressed his hope for a quick resolution.

"It's a very serious issue," Cardin said. "I hope this is resolved in hours. If not, I think it escalates."

GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz said the detention of the sailor's was a "manifestation of the weakness of Obama's foreign policy."

"Our enemies don't fear us," Cruz said before adding that his prayers were with the sailors and their families.

The Guard’s Navy confiscated the sailors’ GPS equipment to “prove that American ships were ‘snooping’ around in Iranian waters,” according to The New York Times.

The boats were moving between Kuwait and Bahrain at the time, and the Pentagon briefly lost contact with the crew. Officials said the sailors were part of the Riverine Squadron 1 based in San Diego and were deployed to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain.

The Riverine boats are not considered high-tech and don't contain any sensitive equipment, so there were no concerns about the Iranians gaining access to the crafts.

The incident came on the heels of an incident in late December when Iran launched a rocket test near U.S. warships and boats passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, Iran was expected to satisfy the terms of last summer's nuclear deal in just days. Once the U.N. nuclear agency confirms Iran's actions to roll back its program, the United States and other Western powers are obliged to suspend wide-ranging oil, trade and financial sanctions on Tehran. Kerry recently said the deal's implementation was "days away."

[Ryan Ruck]

Sorry for the clickbait title. Someone needs to tell Allen West to tell his writers to knock that shit off on since it's annoying as fuck...

HUMILIATED: White House Says Iran Treated Our Sailors Properly, But Look What We Found…

January 13, 2016

As we reported earlier this morning, the 10 sailors Iran detained yesterday have now been released, thank God. But not before being humiliated by the Iranians, in violation of Article 13 of the Geneva Convention (III) — which governs the treatment of prisoners of war and requires captors to protect prisoners against “insults and public curiosity.”

See for yourself if you think these photos we’ve rounded up, released by Iran qualify.

From National Review, who calls this “Iran’s Propaganda Victory in One Illegal Image”:



Note the headscarf the female sailor is apparently being forced to wear above.

And here are a couple from Twitter:

John Kerry thanked Iran for how they treated our soldiers.

Here they are being paraded as trophies on Iranian TV pic.twitter.com/kVkmVYKHzM

— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) January 13, 2016

Very friendly. Not hostile at all. Exactly what I ask stranded drivers to do when helping them change a flat. pic.twitter.com/9c8Gb1cY8s

— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) January 13, 2016

“Insults and public curiosity”? Looks like it to me.

This after we were assured by the White House that our sailors were being “afforded the proper courtesy that you would expect.” Though in fairness to Josh Not-So-Earnest, I suppose the photos are exactly what many of us would expect from Iran — those of us living in reality, that is. And now, of course, John Kerry is expressing “gratitude” to Iran after the incident.

“Gratitude” isn’t exactly what I’m feeling — you?

While we don’t wish to perpetrate the above — we hate that these photos even exist — we must combat the bill of goods the Obama administration is trying to sell the American people in its spinning of what happened yesterday. And the nature of the United States’ relationship with Iran overall.

National Review writes of the top photo — and I’m pretty sure it applies to the others as well:

This photograph violates international law. Article 13 of the Geneva Convention (III), governing the treatment of prisoners of war, requires Iran to protect prisoners against “insults and public curiosity.” This photograph — including a female sailor apparently forced to wear a headscarf – is a quintessential example of “public curiosity” and would be interpreted as insulting throughout the Muslim world. (And if you don’t think Iran is in a state of armed conflict against the United States, tell that to the families of hundreds of American soldiers who’ve lost their lives to Iranians and Iranian-backed terrorists.)

The sight of members of the American military, disarmed and under Iranian control, is of enormous propaganda value in Iran’s ongoing war against the United States. To its allies in the Middle East, the photo demonstrates Iran’s strength – how many jihadist countries have had this many American servicemembers under their power? – and it demonstrates American weakness.

The administration is touting the skill of our crack diplomat John Kerry as having made a big difference in the speed of these sailors’ release.

Also playing a role was the strong relationship that has developed between Mr. Kerry and the Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, during negotiations on the nuclear deal, Mr. Taraghi said.

“John Kerry and Zarif were on the phone during the past hours, and this helped the problem to be resolved quickly due to their direct contact,” he said.

Such a strong relationship these two have developed that we end up with U.S. servicemen being detained and humiliated by Iran. And released only after an apology.

“This time, the Americans were cooperative in proving their innocence, and they quickly accepted their faults without resistance,” the analyst, Hamidreza Taraghi, said in a phone interview. “The Marines apologized for having strayed into Iranian waters.”

This, even as President Obama last night touted our position of leadership and strength in the world. Does that sound like a position of strength to you?

National Review continues:

Nations that take illegal propaganda photos, crow about their seizure of American boats, confiscate part of their equipment, and then point to our allegedly admitted faults aren’t “easing tensions,” they’re flexing their muscles. I’m glad our sailors and boats are back in American hands — minus, apparently, their GPS equipment — but once again Iran has thumbed its nose at the U.S., demonstrating that it does what it wants — whether it’s testing missiles, launching rockets near U.S. warships, or taking, questioning, and photographing American sailors who (allegedly) stray into Iranian waters.

Well, at least our secretary of defense understood the gravity of Iran’s actions:

Around the world, the U.S. Navy routinely provides assistance to foreign sailors in distress, and we appreciate the timely way in which this situation was resolved.

Iran violates international law, and the United States thanks the jihadists for not doing worse. Our country is in the very best of hands.

Our own Col. West sums it up thusly:

I just saw the video, released by Iran, of our US Sailors kneeling with their hands behind their heads on their assault boats. This was a seizure, an act of war, and what were the rules of engagement (ROE) that precluded our Sailors from defending themselves? The engines reported malfunctioned, am I to assume the weapons aboard the riverine assault craft malfunctioned as well? Ladies and Gents, the Iranians just completely embarrassed America, and Obama is about to give them $150B. FUBAR!

FUBAR indeed.

[Ryan Ruck]

Footage Shows US Sailors Detained By Iran's Naval Forces

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps says it has held two US naval boats after they entered the country’s territorial waters in the Persian Gulf.The IRGC says the American vessels were stopped near Iran’s Farsi island in the Persian Gulf and were transferred to the island. It says the sailors are in good health and are being kept at a suitable place. The Pentagon says Washington has received assurances from officials in Tehran that the vessels and the sailors will be released soon. The White House also expressed optimism and said it was working to resolve the situation and get the personnel returned. US officials also said Secretary of State John Kerry called his Iranian counterpart Mohammed Javad Zarif over the incident.

Allowed the Iranians access to all the commo gear and weapons. Unbelievable...

[Ryan Ruck]

American Sailor Apologizes On Iranian State TV

January 13, 2016

An Iranian state television channel has been airing an interview with a detained American sailor in which he is apologizing to his captors.

The sailor said the capture of two Navy boats by Iran was, “a mistake that was our fault and we apologize for our mistake.”

Iran state TV has been airing video of a U.S. sailor saying, "We apologize for our mistake."

(h/t @abasinfo) pic.twitter.com/PZVUKW3eKl

— T. Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) January 13, 2016

The U.S military does give guidelines on what to do if captured:

I

I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.

II

I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist.

III

If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.

IV

If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information or take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior, I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and will back them up in every way.

V

When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give name, rank, service number and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.

VI

I will never forget that I am an American, fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.

A defense official told the Washington Post that this, “raises questions if the sailors broke the code of conduct.”

[vector7]

John Kerry Thanks Iran for Taking Our Sailors Hostage and Humiliating Them

January 13, 2016



BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: John F. Kerry (who served in Vietnam, by the way) has thanked the Iranians for taking our sailors hostage and humiliating them. The audio sound bite will be coming up in due course.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: I'm not kidding on this, either. John Kerry thanked Iran for humiliating our sailors, one of whom was a woman, by the way. He thanked 'em for rescuing 'em, thanked 'em for humiliating them. Well, that's what he thanked 'em for. He thanked the Iranians for capturing Americans engaged in harmless activity on a boat.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Here, you gotta hear this. This is John Kerry. I mentioned earlier that he thanked the Iranians for taking our sailors hostage and humiliating them, and that's not far off the truth. Here is his sound bite from the State Department this morning.




KERRY: I also want to thank the Iranian authorities for their cooperation and quick response. These are always situations which, as everybody here knows, have an ability, if not properly guided, to get out of control, and I'm appreciative for the quick and appropriate response of the Iranian authorities.

RUSH: Yeah, all it takes is $150 billion in cash and a promise they can nuke up and they'll give us back some soldiers they took hostage. What the hell is this? They take some hostages, they capture a couple little dinky boats we got running around over there, and they take the people on board hostage, and they release 'em, and we thank them. "I want to thank the Iranian authorities for their cooperation, quick response. These are always situations which, as everybody here knows, have the ability, if not properly guided, to get out of control."

He really wanted to thank the Iranians for taking our guys hostage and not doing anything worse, and we want to thank the Iranians: after taking our guys hostage, they gave 'em back. We really appreciate that. We're sorry. That's what he's essentially apologizing for what we did. But, as I was saying, folks, give somebody $150 billion and a green light to do a nuclear weapon? I mean, you're buying a lot of friendship there.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: In the meantime, "Controversy Explodes Over Iranian Images of US Sailors -- Iran on Wednesday released a series of images and videos showing the 10 US Navy sailors it apprehended Tuesday, inflaming the American debate over their capture, including the question of whether the US had formally apologized for entering Iranian territory. Iranian media -- Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting News Agency, Tasnim News Agency and the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network -- published roughly two-dozen photos and five videos, two of which feature a male sailor apologizing and praising Iran's treatment.

"'It was a mistake that was our fault, and we apologize for our mistake,' the man says in one video. 'The Iranian behavior was fantastic while we were here and we thank you very much for your hospitality and your assistance,' he says in another. 'We had no problems here.'" (snorts) Think of it what you will.

That's what the Iranians released as having transpired: We apologized and praised them for treating us well and the whole thing was our fault.

Right.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: This Iranian business. Folks, you can think what you want, but I'm gonna tell you something. This kind of story where we apologized, and, "Boy the Iranians were so nice. Oh, my God, it was so much fun be with them! They were so nice. It was our fault; we shouldn't have been there. We apologize. they treated us so well," you might think that's cool. I'm telling you, that's one of the biggest propaganda victories that this Satanic country could get.



In the Middle East, where this is the kind of stuff that matters, it's gonna make it look like they totally dominate us. It's gonna come across as another huge victory over the Great Satan, the United States of America. Now, last nightin his State of the Union speech, Obama's going on and on, "We're the most powerful country in the world! we got the best fighting force in the world. We got the best military in the world! We spend more on our military than the first eight nations behind us combined. We got the greatest battle machine world!"

Ask yourself a question. All of that may be true. We may be the most powerful nation in the world. What kind of rules of engagement are they saddled with.

But more importantly than that, why...? I'm dead serious about this. Why, given that fact we have the most powerful military, the greatest fighting force ever -- we can project more power than any nation on earth can even dream of -- why are all of our enemies growing in power? Why are they getting bigger? Why are they stronger? Why are our enemies more dangerous than ever? Why are they bigger, more dangerous, and wreaking more havoc than ever before under Obama?

That's how you measure it. We can have the best, most powerful fighting force in the world and if it's led by a wuss or somebody who thinks that it's the problem in the world, what good is it, under his command? And make no mistake: Barack Hussein Obama is one of these people that thinks the United States military is one of the greatest problems in the world, historically and at present. Do not doubt me. It falls right in line with this whole belief system that in the United States is not the solution to the world's problems. We are the problem.



Henceforth we've gotta get out. We've got extricate ourselves, 'cause we have caused all these problems, caused all this animosity, we have caused all this angst out there. We've done it. Well, the US military is our agent. (sigh) So you can brag about the military all you want, Mr. President, but how come every enemy of consequence is more powerful than it was seven years ago? Bigger and stronger than it was seven years ago, and more successful than it was seven years ago. That's the question.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Here's that sailor apologizing now. This is Iranian state TV. They played a video of an unidentified man that they said was allegedly the commander of American naval forces captured by Iran. So all of this comes from Iran, that these are captured sailors, and that Iran is alleging that he was the captain.

Iran's alleging that he apologized. So that's the caveat. Here is the video from Iranian state TV.

MAN: It was a mistake that was our fault, and we apologize for our mistake. It was a misunderstanding. We did not mean to go into Iranian territorial waters.

MAN: The Iranian behavior was fantastic while we were here. We thank you very much for your hospitality and your assistance.



RUSH: Okay, so that's what it is. Now, what do you think the odds are somebody in the United States military had a phone to these guys saying, "This is what you say. We've greased the skids for your release. This is what you have to say"? Or the Iranians are making it up, and those are not really US sailors, and it's just really good English-speaking people being presented as sailors. Listen to Plugs Biden. This is from this morning on CBS. Get this now.

BIDEN: One of the boats had engine f-failure, drifted into Iranian waters. The Iranians picked up both boats -- as we have picked up Iranian boats that needed to be rescued -- and took them to... Uh, uh, uh, I'm not sure exactly where. I don't want to misspeak, here. And, uh, and realized they were there in distress and said they were [going to] release them and released them. Like, y'know, ordinary nations would do. That's the way nations should deal with one another. That's why it's important to have channels open. We have, ummmm --

WOMAN: Did we we apologize to Iranians?

BIDEN: No! There was no apology. Nothing to apologize for. When you have a problem with a boat, do you apologize the boat had a problem? No!

WOMAN: (nervous laughter)

BIDEN: And there's no looking for any apology.

RUSH: Well, then what the hell is this, Plugs? Biden's on CBS says, "No, no, no, no! There's no apology. There's nothing to apologize for! We didn't apologize. If you have a problem with the boat, do you apologize the boat had a problem? We didn't apologize!" So grab number 33 again. After Plugs said, "No, no, no, no! There was no apology. We didn't apologize."



MAN: It was a mistake that was our fault, and we apologize for our mistake. It was a misunderstanding. We did not mean to go into Iranian territorial waters.

MAN: The Iranian behavior was fantastic while we were here. We thank you very much for your hospitality and your assistance.

RUSH: All right. So you figure it out, folks. Biden said there was no apology, no reason to apologize, nothing to apologize for. The Iranians released a video of our guys apologizing. The GOP establishment is gonna love this. To the GOP establishment, this was the greatest thing we could do. "Yeah. Yeah, we were to blame!" The sailor did one thing wrong. They didn't actually..." (interruption) No, they did take the blame. Oh, my God, the Republican establishment is gonna love this. The sailors apologized and took the blame for the problem.

Right.

If they'd have just started complaining about the "loud voices" on the ocean that confused 'em, it would have been a home run.

END TRANSCRIPT

[American Patriot]

What is it that makes me want to go cut off John Kerry's balls and feed them to him one at a time?

I'm sick of the feckless assholes in Washington.

[vector7]

Companion Thread:

• Iran capture of US spy drone 'would be significant blow to military'
  

Those Boats Iran Seized Are Fast, Mean, and Crucial to the U.S. Navy

Everything you need to know about the ​Riverine Command Boats, which rep the U.S. Navy in shallow water​.



By Kyle Mizokami
Jan 13, 2016

The small boats at the center of yesterday's incident with Iran are a largely unsung part of the U.S. Navy. Dwarfed by America's aircraft carriers, submarines, and destroyers, the Riverine Command Boats form the low, but crucial, end of the navy's mix of ships.

The little international incident began yesterday when a pair of Riverine Command Boats (RCB) and their crews were intercepted by Iranian forces because they were allegedly in Iranian waters. One of the boats had broken down and drifted a mile into Iranian territory. The crews were arrested and their boats interned by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. The crews, and their boats, were returned within 24 hours (though not until after President Obama's State of the Union address.)

The RCB is a watercraft designed to patrol rivers and other shallow water. Their speed and small size makes them useful for patrolling busy waterways such as the Persian Gulf and protecting larger navy ships. Originally designed and manufactured by the Swedish company Dockstavarvet, the RCB is produced under license by SAFE Boats of Bremerton, Washington.

The boats have a crew of 5 and can carry up to 20 passengers. Forty-nine feet long and more than 12 feet wide, the RCBs use Swedish-made Scania diesel engines coupled to Rolls-Royce FF410 waterjets to reach speeds of more than 43 knots. The RCB has a draft of only three feet, allowing it to operate effectively in shallow waters. It has a range of 320 nautical miles.

The RCBs bristle with weaponry, averaging a weapons station every ten feet. There are four mounts for machine guns, which can handle M2HB .50-caliber heavy machine guns, GAU-19 .50-caliber miniguns, and M240 medium machine guns. Typically a RCB mounts one of each, with one .50 caliber station sometimes mounting two heavy machine guns (see above). The boats are also equipped with a Mk49 remote control weapons station equipped with a M2HB heavy machine gun. Developed by Israeli defense contractor Rafael, the Mk49 has a 360 degree arc of fire.

Navy small boats have a reputation for being thinly armored, but an RCB can take a beating. Armor provides protection from up to 7.62-millimeter bullets. The bow and hull are reinforced so the boats can be run aground on rocky shores without worrying about gouging a hole and taking on water. The RCB can even be fitted with a chemical weapons air filtration system.

Riverine Command Boats are packed with sensors and communications gear, too. The Sea FLIR III infrared sensor system features a thermal imager sensor, laser rangefinder, and autotracker, all on a gyro-stabilized package to keep the image stable on a rocking boat. The latest in communications allows the boats to communicate with other navy ships, aircraft, and even ground forces.

The boats serve with the three Riverine Squadrons of the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command. Here's a video of Riverine Command Boats serving in the Persian Gulf region with the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet.

[Ryan Ruck]

Matt Bracken's take...

Bracken On Iran

January 13, 2016

UPDATE 1515EST 14JAN2016: See updates at GoV here.

Via comments at American Thinker:

I rarely pull out my dusty old trident, but in this case, here goes. I was a Navy SEAL officer in the 1980s, and this kind of operation (transiting small boats in foreign waters) was our bread and butter. Today, these boats both not only had radar, but multiple GPS devices, including chart plotters that place your boat’s icon right on the chart. The claim by Iran that the USN boats “strayed into Iranian waters” is complete bull$#it.

For an open-water transit between nations, the course is studied and planned in advance by the leaders of the Riverine Squadron, with specific attention given to staying wide and clear of any hostile nation’s claimed territorial waters. The boats are given a complete mechanical check before departure, and they have sufficient fuel to accomplish their mission plus extra. If, for some unexplainable and rare circumstance one boat broke down, the other would tow it, that’s why two boats go on these trips and not one! It’s called “self-rescue” and it’s SOP.

This entire situation is in my area of expertise. I can state with complete confidence that both Iran and our own State Department are lying. The boats did not enter Iranian waters. They were overtaken in international waters by Iranian patrol boats that were so superior in both speed and firepower that it became a “hands up!” situation, with automatic cannons in the 40mm to 76mm range pointed at them point-blank. Surrender, hands up, or be blown out of the water. I assume that the Iranians had an English speaker on a loudspeaker to make the demand. This takedown was no accident or coincidence, it was a planned slap across America’s face.

Just watch. The released sailors will be ordered not to say a word about the incident, and the Iranians will have taken every GPS device, chart-plotter etc off the boats, so that we will not be able to prove where our boats were taken.

The “strayed into Iranian waters” story being put out by Iran and our groveling and appeasing State Dept. is utter and complete BS from one end to the other.

Related: WeaponsMan’s coverage of the incident

[vector7]

Will the Farsi Island incident turn out to be a Cover-up like Benghazi?

By: Wallace Bruschweiler and William Palumbo
Dr. Rich Swier


Since Tuesday’s capture of U.S. Navy sailors by the Iranians, many questions have emerged that call into question the official story of events. Knowing the history of the Obama administration, including the Arab Spring and the infamous attack and cover-up Benghazi “incident,” is it fair to assume that the White House is again deceiving the American public?



After five years. This graphic details the results of the Arab Spring. An increase in failed states and autocracies.
In light of yet another disgraceful situation that humiliated our country and military, below are some vital and important questions to ponder (forget political correctness!):

• Was this event coordinated to coincide with Obama’s final State of the Union, which conspicuously did not mention the sailors in Iranian custody?
• Did John Kerry foresee that when the Iranians released the sailors it would provide good publicity for the Iranian nuclear deal that he negotiated with his Iranian family-related “buddy,” Javad Zarif? Wasn’t it, like John Kerry said, “a good story for both of us”?
• Did, as Rep. Louis Gohmert mentioned, the White House indicate to the Iranianswhere to find the two boats and apprehend (“help”) the sailors? Did they have “mechanical problems,” or was it sophisticated jamming of their GPS?
• Were the boats truly navigating in Iranian-controlled waters? If so, how did all of their various navigational systems fail simultaneously?
• Is the entire chain-of-command, leading up to Defense Secretary Carter’sinsistence that the sailors were faced with a “navigational error” and/or mechanical failure, part of a Machiavellian cover-up?
• Could those ten sailors have been regarded as hostages and collateral for the frozen Iranian funds?
• Was the subsequent strangely-timed prisoner swap between the Obama administration and Iran a further diversion designed to change the attention and conversation away from the highly suspicious related facts of the Farsi Island incident?

At first, on the surface, this sordid affair is not unlike another major scandal of the Obama administration: Benghazi. Again, consider some important questions:

• Isn’t one leading theory of what the terrorists were hoping to achieve in Benghazi the kidnapping of Ambassador Chris Stevens, so that he could later be swapped for the so-called Blind Sheikh, a well-known Egyptian terrorist?
• Wasn’t the terrorist mob in Benghazi recorded screaming “Don’t shoot! Morsi sent us!” as they approached the compound?
• Didn’t Ansar al-Sharia, an Iranian-backed terror group, claim responsibility for the Benghazi attack?
• Wasn’t then U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, trumpeting that a video caused of the attack?
• Didn’t all these facts point to the manipulation performed by the genius puppet master, Iranian-born Valerie Jarrett?

Now that the Farsi Island incident is over and with the focus shifting to the latest prisoner swap, who will be the “schmuck” that throws their hands up and screams “What difference, at this point, does it make?”

[vector7]

Iranian Cleric: U.S. Is Weak, Powerless Against Revolutionary Guard



Days away from implementation day of the nuclear deal with Iran, Friday prayers in Mashhad took direct aim at the United States by using the recent hostage situation in the Persian Gulf as a propaganda tool to suggest the U.S. is weak and powerless against Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

During his sermon, hardline Iranian cleric Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Alamolhoda said that for the last 37 years, the U.S. has been like a “barking dog” lacking the strength to enter their nation. Using the recent incident in the Persian Gulf, near Farsi Island, where the IRGC’s Navy took 10 American sailors hostage, he said the captives were so frightened and intimidated by the faces of the IRGC Naval forces that their hands “involuntarily went over their heads” in a show of surrender as their boats were approached by the Iranian militants. The sermon was reported on by the state-run Fars News Agency.

View image on Twitter


Follow

slone @slone

10 sailors on their knees as surrender to Iranians while their commander APOLOGIZES for trespassing Persian Gulf
8:48 PM - 13 Jan 2016

• 30 30 Retweets
• 25

The IRGC is Iran’s most powerful political force and operates under the guidance of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Despite an alert to Iran that the U.S. Navy was deploying one of its vessels as part of a search and rescue effort for 10 sailors who allegedly veered off course, the IRGC still went ahead and took those sailors captive, in a confrontation that had the potential to escalate into an act of war.

CNN reports that the Iranian sailors who were taken hostage were told to “act happy” by their captors while they were being taped. Meanwhile, several headlines coming out of Iran sought to show the IRGC’s strength over the U.S. One in particular, coming out of a publication called Hemayat, had a headline reading “The Apology of the Americans Under the Shadow and Strength of the IRGC.” It explained that the Americans were released into international waters after promising to never make the same mistake again and apologizing to their nation under the supervision of the naval forces of the IRGC.

Friday’s sermon in Mashhad fell on the anniversary of the birth of the Shah Hazrat Abdul Hassani, an Islamic scholar who was the great grandson of Imam Hassan al-Mujtaba, the second holy Imam in Shi’ite Islam. Hassani’s story tells the lesson of perseverance in the face of struggle. It was also around the anniversary of the death of Nawab Safavi, a radical cleric who was responsible for founding an Islamic fundamentalist terrorist group (Fadayan-e-Islam) whose members assassinated Iranian politicians affiliated with Iran’s last Shah.

Ayatollah Alamolhoda invoked the memory of both men and used them as role models to glorify martyrdom, presenting them as having a similar purpose in their lives’ missions and as being both the subject and source of God’s wishes for them.

In 2009, Alamolhoda said the opponents of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were supporters of Satan. “Enemies of the leader, according to the Quran, belong to the party of Satan. Our war in the world is war against the opponents of the rule of the supreme leader,” he said making a direct reference to the West and specifically the United States. Since 1979, the Islamic Regime of Iran has sought to export its own version of a Shi’te Islamic caliphate through the continuation of its revolution.

Follow Adelle Nazarian on Twitter @AdelleNaz and on Facebook.

[vector7]

US to pay Iran $1.7 bn in debt and interest: Kerry

US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks to journalists about his negotiations with Iran upon his arrival from Vienna at Joint Base Andrews on January 17, 2016 (AFP Photo/Kevin Lamarque)

Washington (AFP) - The United States is to repay Iran a $400 million debt and $1.3 billion in interest dating to the Islamic revolution, Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday.

Related Stories

1. Iran to receive $1.7 billion in U.S. claim settlement at the Hague Reuters
2. Triumph or travesty, US-Iran ties warming over nuclear deal Associated Press
3. Obama: Iran deal, prisoner swap shows dividends of diplomacy Reuters
4. Exclusive: In negotiating to free Americans in Iran, U.S. blinked on new sanctions Reuters
5. US, Iran leaders hail nuke deal as new sanctions imposed AFP
6. Doctor: How To Lift A Saggy Neck [Watch] Beverly Hills MD Sponsored 

The repayment, which settles a suit brought under an international legal tribunal, is separate from the tens of billions of dollars in frozen foreign accounts that Iran can now access after the end of nuclear sanctions.

But the timing of the announcement, one day after the implementation of the Iran nuclear accord, will be seen as pointing to a broader clearing of the decks between the old foes.
US President Barack Obama defended the settlement in a televised statement from the White House, saying it was for "much less than the amount Iran sought."

"For the United States, the settlement could save us billions of dollars that could have been pursued by Iran. There was no benefit to the United States in dragging this out," he said.

Kerry said the claim was in the amount of a $400 million trust fund used by Iran to purchase military equipment from the United States prior to the break in diplomatic ties, plus $1.3 billion in interests.

Iranian-US ties broke down in 1979 after revolutionaries -- angered at US support for the Iran's deposed monarch -- stormed the American embassy and took hostages.

In 1981, the Iran-US Claims tribunal was established in The Hague to settle outstanding debts between the two countries, and Tehran filed a suit demanding the arms payment be returned.

Kerry described Sunday's payment of the 35-year-old trust as a "fair settlement." But the debt deal immediately drew the ire of those in Washington who think the Obama administration had already made too many concessions to secure the nuclear deal.

"Lining the pockets of the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism is not a strategy that will keep America safe, and Hillary Clinton should immediately condemn this payment," said a statement from Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee.

“While it is a relief to see unjustly held Americans returned home to their families," Priebus said, "the Clinton-Obama nuclear agreement gives Iran too much in return for too little."

Kerry, in defending the agreement, said that "Iran's recovery was fixed at a reasonable rate of interest and therefore Iran is unable to pursue a bigger tribunal award against us, preventing US taxpayers from being obligated to a larger amount of money."

He went on to say all of the US claims against Iran at the tribunal had long been settled and had netted American companies and individuals $2.5 billion.

But Kerry added there are more Iranian claims pending and that the United States would try to negotiate to resolve them.

[vector7]

Calling BS on the official story of the Iranian capture of two US riverine boats

'January 16, 2016

By Thomas Lifson

A fascinating comment on Rick Moran’s blog about the Iranian capture of our sailors is making waves in the blogosphere and on Facebook. It makes a lot more sense than any of the official explanations we have received for the capture and subsequent release of the sailors.

Thomas Lipscomb explains:

Flash! A former Navy SEAL, Matt Bracken, just blew up what I have been calling "a pack of lies from the US and Iran" on what the hell happened that got our boats captured and taken to the Farsi Islands.

Remember: the single most dangerous area in all the Persian Gulf is a small group of Island in almost the middle of the heavily traveled shipping lanes that is a major naval base for Iran and the HQ of the radical IRG for special operations of their own against all the countries abutting the Gulf. A top Marine told me our two boats were special ops boats with crews that delivered our own SEALS... the direct rivals of the IRG on Farsi.

The idea that toxic area would be a possible rendezvous site area for a refueling is idiotic... as is the idea of commo and navigation failure. You might as reasonably expect Gibraltar to be a rendezvous point for resupply for the Nazi subs in Das Boot.

If the US press today weren't evenly split between toady's and military incoherent, they should have seen what has been clear to anyone who has any military experience.

Here is Matt Bracken's stunning take:

I rarely pull out my dusty old trident, but in this case, here goes. I was a Navy SEAL officer in the 1980s, and this kind of operation (transiting small boats in foreign waters) was our bread and butter. Today, these boats both not only had radar, but multiple GPS devices, including chart plotters that place your boat's icon right on the chart. The claim by Iran that the USN boats "strayed into Iranian waters" is complete bull$‪#‎it.

For an open-water transit between nations, the course is studied and planned in advance by the leaders of the Riverine Squadron, with specific attention given to staying wide and clear of any hostile nation's claimed territorial waters. The boats are given a complete mechanical check before departure, and they have sufficient fuel to accomplish their mission plus extra. If, for some unexplainable and rare circumstance one boat broke down, the other would tow it, that's why two boats go on these trips and not one! It's called "self-rescue" and it's SOP.

This entire situation is in my area of expertise. I can state with complete confidence that both Iran and our own State Department are lying. The boats did not enter Iranian waters. They were overtaken in international waters by Iranian patrol boats that were so superior in both speed and firepower that it became a "hands up!" situation, with automatic cannons in the 40mm to 76mm range pointed at them point-blank. Surrender, hands up, or be blown out of the water. I assume that the Iranians had an English speaker on a loudspeaker to make the demand. This takedown was no accident or coincidence, it was a planned slap across America's face.

Just watch. The released sailors will be ordered not to say a word about the incident, and the Iranians will have taken every GPS device, chart-plotter etc off the boats, so that we will not be able to prove where our boats were taken.

The "strayed into Iranian waters" story being put out by Iran and our groveling and appeasing State Dept. is utter and complete BS from one end to the other.

At the Gates of Vienna, Brian Bodissey passes along an update from Matt Bracken:

I think that the take-down happened in international waters. The Iranians would have known to the minute when the boats were leaving Kuwait, and their probable course to Bahrain, so an intercept would be simple. They know our ROE would be “Do not shoot EVER unless you are fired upon first. PERIOD!!!”

So, if the Iranians jam our boats so they cannot communicate, and then swoop in close, it’s almost a guaranteed outcome. They KNOW we won’t shoot first! So by coming in closer and closer with weapons aimed at our sailors, overwhelming them with numbers at point-blank, then on loudspeaker they say, “Step away from your weapons or we will slaughter you!” At that point, it’s a fait accompli. Once our sailors step back from their guns, it’s over. Next, “Take off your jackets and weapons” etc, until they are in t-shirts only. Then “Kneel down!”

Step by step they get their way, based on a deep understanding of our ROE and our responses at every stage. Once they have control of our boats, they can drive them to Farsi Island, and remove every single GPS device, radar, cell phone etc. Then, there can be no proof of where the attack happened. And worst of all, Obama and Kerry are happy to go along with the lie, in order not to upset the nuclear deal applecart.

Rick Moran points out that one flaw in this scenario is that there was a woman captured, and so far as we know, there are no women in Special Forces. He, too, believe that the official story is BS, but that the simple explanation is that the Navy doesn't want to explain its humiliation and the Obama admininstration wants to keep the Iran deal at all costs.

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/...ine_boats.html

[Ryan Ruck]

There is definitely something very fishy about this whole event.

I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.

[Ryan Ruck]

There is definitely something very fishy about this whole event.

I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Congressman: Classified Details of Iran’s Treatment of U.S. Sailors Will Shock Nation

Lawmaker says new details being withheld by Obama administration

May 16, 2016

The classified details behind Iran’s treatment of several U.S. sailors who were captured by the Islamic Republic during a tense standoff earlier this year are likely to shock the nation, according to one member of the House Armed Services Committee, who disclosed to the Washington Free Beacon that these details are currently being withheld by the Obama administration.

Rep. Randy Forbes (R., Va.) told the Free Beacon in an interview that the Obama administration is still keeping details of the maritime incident under wraps. It could be a year or longer before the American public receives a full accounting of the incident, in which several U.S. sailors were abducted at gunpoint by the Iranian military.

“I’ve had a full classified briefing” from military officials, Forbes told the Free Beacon. “It could be as long as a year before we actually get that released.”

Details of the abduction are likely to start an uproar in the nation and call into question the Obama administration’s handling of the incident, which many experts say violated international and maritime law.

“I think that when the details actually come out, most Americans are going to be kind of taken aback by the entire incident, both how Iran handled it and how we handled it,” Forbes disclosed. “I think that’s going to be huge cause for concern for most Americans. That’s why I’ve encouraged members of Congress to get that briefing so they do know exactly what did take place.”

Forbes suggested that Iran’s treatment of the U.S. sailors—which included filming them crying and forcing them to apologize at gunpoint—may have been much worse than what has been publicly reported.

“I think clearly there were violations of international and maritime law that took place here,” Forbes said. “We [the United States] did almost nothing in response, in fact, to have Secretary [of State John] Kerry actually thank them for releasing our sailors after they way they captured them, I think was a slap in the sailors’ face.”

Forbes is pushing a new measure that would increase sanctions on Tehran for its treatment of the U.S. sailors in order to hold Iran accountable for its aggressive behavior.

Forbes’ measure outlines a range of Iranian aggressions against U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf region.

“Iranian military and paramilitary vessels have repeatedly behaved in a dangerous and unprofessional manner in close proximity to naval vessels and commercial shipping operating in internationally recognized maritime traffic lanes,” according to a copy of the measure viewed by the Free Beacon.

The list of provocations includes a December 2015 incident in which Iran conducted a “live firing exercise within 1,500 yards of the U.S. aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman.”

Iranian military aircraft buzzed the Truman and a French aircraft carrier in the region in January.

“The administration will not stand up and say this is just wrong,” Forbes said. “Instead of thanking them the administration should be standing up and saying its wrong.”

Congress must take action to hold Iran accountable for its aggressive military behavior, Forbes said.

“These kind of actions undermine stability in the Gulf,” he said. “And they raise the danger of inadvertent escalation.”

“I think it goes without saying that if that’s the case and they won’t stop that activity, all of that should at least be considered and debated as part of any Iran sanctions bill that may come up in the future.”

[American Patriot]

I've remained quiet about this for now and probably won't comment much on the subject as sailors lives and jobs are on the line over this. I don't for one second believe that Seal Team Six died by accident.


There is no way for a sailboat like mine to outrun even a kyack if they want to over take me. My best speed is almost 8 knots or 9.2 mph. Not too fast at all. A good, strong guy in a kyack and easily catch me and pass me. Speed over ground is a bit different. If I'm measuring ground speed I can go a bit quicker if I have a current with me, and the winds. But a speed boat that planes, that's a very different beast.

A speedboat like the Riverine can go something like 40 knots on the water. I don't know the exact speed, but it's fast. Probably classified too.

So, I agree with Matt, something isn't right. Someone is lying, as usual. So, it goes with the territory.

Yeah, this will turn out to be a Benghazi style coverup.

[MinutemanCO]

It's just like the Carter administration and the hostages. There must be some sort of back door deal where Iran acts like the tough guy, perpetrates some sort of hostile act, and we back down and submit instead of filling the Persian Gulf with war ships, Marines, Navy Seals, cruise missiles and super hornets. This has to be a blatant act of cowardice on Obama's part at the direction of Valerie Jarrett to give the Islamic Republic some illusion of power on the world stage.

We should have crushed Iran militarily a long time ago.