Video: Iran Threatens To "Explode" Ships

Recordings Show Iranian Boats Swarming 3 U.S. Warships In Persian Gulf; Iran Denies Threats

(CBS/AP)  Small Iranian fast boats swarmed around U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf, and a man speaking heavily accented English threatened, "I am coming to you. ... You will explode after ... minutes," according to a video released Tuesday by the Pentagon.

The Iranian boats appeared to ignore repeated warnings from the U.S. ships, including horn blasts and radio transmissions.

In a four-minute, 20-second video, shot from the bridge of the destroyer USS Hopper, the small boats - including a bright blue one - can be seen racing near the wake the U.S. ships and crossing close to each other.

From the Hopper's bridge, after spotting the approaching Iranian boats, a Navy crew member says over the radio: "This is coalition warship. I am engaged in transit passage in accordance with international law. Intend no harm."

Often uneven and shaky, the video condenses what Navy officials have said was a 20-minute or so clash. It ends with a blank screen, as only the audio of the Navy's final warning can be heard, just after the voice warns that they are coming.

"Inbound small craft: You are approaching a coalition warship operating in international waters. Your identity in unknown; your intentions are unclear," the unidentified crew member says. He then cautions the Iranians that if they do no steer clear they will be "subject to defensive measures."

"Request that you alter course immediately to remain clear," the crew member says.

The Americans couldn't believe what they heard next, CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier reports.

After a pause, the man with the accent issues a final threat: "You will explode after (indecipherable) minutes."

Earlier Tuesday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards corps denied that its boats sent threatening messages to the U.S. Navy convoy, and it defended its right to ask American vessels to identify themselves.

The Guards have said their boats approached the convoy early Sunday and asked the U.S. ships to identify themselves, then allowed them to continue into the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, a prime Middle East oil-shipping lane.

"No threatening messages were exchanged," state television quoted an identified Revolutionary Guards official as saying Tuesday.

American officials said the Iranian boats harassed the U.S. vessels and threatened to blow them up, calling the incident a dangerous provocation as President George W. Bush prepared to leave Tuesday on his first major trip to the Middle East.

The White House called the alleged incident "a reckless and provocative act," reports CBS News correspondent Mark Knoller.

A top U.S. Navy commander in the region said Monday that the Iranian boats radioed a message "to the effect that they were closing (on) our ships and that the ships would explode - the U.S. ships would explode," said Vice Adm. Kevin Cosgriff, the commander of U.S. 5th Fleet, which patrols the Gulf and is based at nearby Bahrain.

The Pentagon said five small Iranian boats repeatedly "charged" three U.S. warships - cruiser USS Port Royal, destroyer USS Hopper and frigate USS Ingraham - on what the U.S. Navy called a routine passage in international waters.

It also said the Iranian vessels dropped boxes in the water and warned the U.S. ships that they would set off "explosions," a U.S. Defense Department official said.

On Monday, Iran's Foreign Ministry called the incident a "normal" encounter between the two countries' ships and said it had been resolved.

U.S. Navy and Iranian officials have said in the past that vessels from the two rival nations frequently come into contact in the waters of the narrow, heavily trafficked Gulf. They often communicate by radio to avoid incidents.

But the latest incident was the first time U.S. officials have spoken of such a direct threat from Iranian boats.

On Tuesday, senior Revolutionary Guards commander Ali Reza Tangsiri was quoted as saying Iran had the right to ask any ships to identify themselves upon entering or leaving the Persian Gulf.

"It is a basic responsibility of patrolling units of the Revolutionary Guards to take necessary interception measures toward any vessels entering into the waters of the Persian Gulf," Tangsiri said, according to the Mehr news agency.

"We are entitled to use our definite right in the Strait of Hormuz to take controlling measures in relation to the entry of any vessel into the Persian Gulf," he was quoted as saying.

[samsel3]

One million barrels per day capacity for the Eilat Ashkelon pipeline where tankers are filled at the Red Sea port for transport to Asian markets. Currently tankers are unloaded at Ashkelon and pumped through Israel to Eilat a Red Sea terminal. The Turkey Israel pipelines project will save tanker transport costs to Ashkelon and increase market share for Caspian Sea oil. This is the purpose behind the Bush peace talks!

[samsel3]

January 9, 2007 Bush met with the president of Turkey on the 10th he was in Israel. The connection is the Turkey Israeli pipelines, the real purpose of the recent middle east peace summit . The actual story is the proposed oil pipelines that will be built down the coast from Turkey to Israel. Condi Rice is trying to broker this deal. BP oil, US oil interests and the Saudis all have a stake in that pipeline. Domonique Strauss- Khan managing director of the International Monetary Fund and Robert Zoellick president of the World Bank were in attendance. Big money won''''t finance the venture without stability in the region.
In the Daily telegraph, July 22, 2006 Condoleeza Rice stated her main objective in the middle east was not to push a ceasefire in Lebanon, but to cause an isolation of Syria and Iran. The strategic objective is all tied to oil and oil pipelines. In April of 2006 Israel & Turkey made their announcement which included four pipelines which will bypass Syria & Lebanon. The source of the oil is the BTC pipeline from the Caspian Sea Region. Shareholders in the BTC pipeline are: British Petroleum, AzBTC, Chevron, Statoil, TPAO, ENI, Total, Itochu, INPEX, Conoco-Phillips & Amerada Hess. Another very important factor on the war with Lebanon is that Israel will have a strategic role in protecting the pipeline and transportation corridor out of Ceyhan Turkey. The strategy will weaken Russian oil''s role in central asia and also isolate Iran.

[samsel3]

Nothing has changed on Iran. The administrations interest in Iran & nukes is a smoke screen for their real agenda. Their true interests are Cheney''s energy policy.Condi Rice is a former board member of Chevron Oil and mouthpiece for the administrations energy policy. Part of that policy is the The Caspian Sea pipeline which will go through Turkmenistan, Afghanistan,Pakistan, to the gulf of Oman and on to India & Nepal.It will be cheaper to construct if they can go through Iran, but regime change is necessary first. The Caspian sea area holds one third of the world''s oil and south asian oil markets are their target market. This pipeline was also the reason for the Afghanistan invasion. Cheney''s energy policy is the root of all these middle east wars, a federal court judge sealed all documents associated with it for the administration, and the national media are not allowed to discuss or comment on it. More troops are needed in Afghanistan to protect the contractors building the pipeline. Iran stands in the way of total control of global oil now with sales of oil to China''s Sinopec Oil,deal signed Dec.10,2007. Months ago China said there would be dire consequences if the US interfered with there direct oil contracts with Iran. Both parties in the Congress should be very concerned with China''s growing war machine and need for oil. They are the real threat & the administration doesn''t care they are in control ! All that matters to them is BIG OIL and their corporate stock portfolios

[nowiknow2]

I am not going to argue if the US should or shouldn''t be in the ME or even why we are there because that''s a pointless argument with each player believing they are correct. I am only going to say this- and I say it as a wife whose husband is on one of those three ships right now. The white boxes were real, the video was real; it wasn''t made up or doctored. It wasn''t a game to the sailors on the ship and when you ask what harm those 5 little bitty Iranian boats could do... tell me you would say they are harmless and feel the same if it were your family member they were threatening to blow up. Again, I am not commenting on anything other than to say- yes this really did happen and IF as some have said "this is a ploy by the US gov" well, the sailors on the ship weren''t aware of it.

[whatisright]

Why in the h... are we putting up with these criminals??? There has already been a coup of our government and no one is doing a d... thing....

[whatisright]

Cheney and Israel will not stop pushing Bush until they get us to do their dirty work and invade Iran.
Why doesn''t Cheney go to Israel and ride a nuclear missle with them to Iran.
Bush is going to Israel now to check out the facts with Israel on where to attack on Iran.
Cheney is going to attack Iran, he has already placed the nuclear missle in place months ago.
Never in my worst nightmare did I believe that our democrats would let this nation''s policies turn into the same as Germany in the 1930''s and 1940''s.
Were in the h... did our honor and pride go????????

[bloodfiest-2009]

None of you idiots have the slightest idea of what your talking the ships were just minding there own buisness and the irians were threating them a naval ship millions of dollars it could have been another cole incident their are us naval sailors on those ships americans you idiots they were provoking americans to make an incident to make america seem wrong we wouldn''t have to be their if we didn''t have to babysit the whole middle east they whole toxic wasteland of people and useless religion is just a sibling rivalry and none of those wastes of human life have the minds to create a resalution

[bloodfiest-2009]

None of you idiots have the slightest idea of what your talking the ships were just minding there own buisness and the irians were threating them a naval ship millions of dollars it could have been another cole incident their are us naval sailors on those ships americans you idiots they were provoking americans to make an incident to make america seem wrong we wouldn''t have to be their if we didn''t have to babysit the whole middle east they whole toxic wasteland of people and useless religion is just a sibling rivalry and none of those wastes of human life have the minds to create a resalution

[bloodfiest-2009]

None of you idiots have the slightest idea of what your talking the ships were just minding there own buisness and the irians were threating them a naval ship millions of dollars it could have been another cole incident their are us naval sailors on those ships americans you idiots they were provoking americans to make an incident to make america seem wrong we wouldn''t have to be their if we didn''t have to babysit the whole middle east they whole toxic wasteland of people and useless religion is just a sibling rivalry and none of those wastes of human life have the minds to create a resalution

[kevkevsuperrev]

Once Bush declares martial law, congress can''t act for 6 months. So Bush is waiting long enough that the next elected president can''t be sworn in. I am disturbed that the media will support this tyranny instead supporting the citizens of America. The list has been compiled, and those that are responsible will see their just reward.