Iran Fires Back With Its Own Boat Video

Grainy Footage Depicts "Routine" Encounter With U.S. Ships; U.S. Formally Protests Incident

(CBS/AP)  Iran aired video Thursday of its boats and U.S. naval ships in the Persian Gulf in an apparent attempt to show that there was no confrontation between the vessels.

The grainy 5-minute, 20-second video - without sound or narration - showed a man speaking into a handheld radio, with three U.S. ships floating in the distance. It appeared to be shot from a small boat bobbing at least 100 meters from the American warships.

The footage did not show any Iranian boats approaching the U.S. vessels, nor any provocation. But the short clip likely did not show Sunday's entire encounter, which U.S. Navy officials described as threatening, and said lasted about 20 minutes.

It aired on Iran's state-run English-language channel Press TV, whose signal is often blocked inside Iran.

The clip also aired on the state-run Al-Alam Arabic channel, with an announcer saying the video showed "a routine and regular measure."

Later, another state TV channel aired 4 minutes of audio it said were radio communications between the Iranian boats and American ships.

"Coalition warship number 73, this is an Iranian navy patrol boat," a man's voice said in heavily-accented English. "This is coalition warship number 73 operating in international waters," an American voice replied.

Meanwhile Thursday, the U.S. lodged a formal diplomatic protest with Iran over the incident. The protest, which repeats public U.S. complaints about the "provocative" action, was sent to the Iranian Foreign Ministry through the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which looks after U.S. interests in Iran, deputy spokesman Tom Casey told reporters. He could not say if the Iranians had actually received and acknowledged receipt of the protest.

The Pentagon has released its own video of Sunday's incident, showing small Iranian boats swarming around U.S. warships in the Strait of Hormuz.

In the recording, a man threatens in English, "I am coming to you. ... You will explode after ... minutes."

The incident, which ended without any shots fired, has heightened U.S.-Iranian tension as President Bush visits the region. Mr. Bush was in the West Bank on Thursday, and heads next to Arab Gulf nations where he is expected to discuss strategy on Iran.

Iran has denied its boats threatened the U.S. vessels, and accused Washington of fabricating its video. The Pentagon dismissed that claim and warned its ships would respond with force if threatened.

The Iranian video "seems to underscore the fact that the U.S. ships were operating in international waters, something so far, at least, the Iranians have not refuted," retired U.S. Army Col. Jeff McCausland told CBS' The Early Show.

McCausland, who is director of national security affairs for the Washington-based law firm Buchanan, Ingersoll, and Rooney added that Iran's claim that the Pentagon's video was fabricated could be an attempt to "ratchet up" tensions between the two nations.

On Thursday, the Web site of the Iranian state broadcasting company quoted a top Revolutionary Guards commander as calling the Pentagon's video "unusual and illogical."

"This attention by the U.S. media and officials to a routine encounter means Americans are taking an unusual approach to very ordinary issue," Gen. Ali Fadavi, the Guards' acting naval chief, was quoted as saying.

[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

[speakinup]

libsluvsuvs - I love it!

sean pencilneck and barbell streisand stared in this Iranian produced flick !

[speakinup]

singinrick - I don''t believe inventagod is far left at all. I believe he/she-it is Iranian. After all, they would rather believe the Iranian navy than ours. What could make you think they are US citizens ?

Bush wasn''t on board that ship. What, the CIA was ? Sure, and no Naval personnel saw them right ?

The fact is, the tape was made by our brave Navy.

And, of course this inventagod person doesn''t want to believe it, because Iran''s ''navy'' told him to. He''s JUST being a good Iranian.

[joesrc1]

IF IRAN WANTS A PLACE IN THE WORLD IT NEEDS TO ACCEPT OTHER POINTS OF VIEW.THE WORLD IS CONTROLLED BY MANY VIEWS NOT JUST A FEW.TO GET ALONG YOU MUST GET ALONG WITH THE MAJORITY.THATS REAL PROGRESS.

[libsluvsuvs]

I would not be suprised at all if sean penn and micheal moore produced and directed this video...

[inventagod]

The Bu$h Administration has long been known to present these faux news broadcasts, known as Video News Releases.
Not only is the American public aware of them, they are being investigated by Congress.
20 federal agencies have produced and distributed such items, including FEMA and now the Navy.
The real shame is there are many more gullible Americans, and a large world population who buy this propaganda without thought. This makes a world war possible at any moment, based on lies from Bu$hCo...

How long will Congress let the lies continue?

[samsel3]

Russia is the second largest supplier of oil on the planet, the Saudis are number one. After Saddam was removed they lost one of there sources and moved to Iran to fill the void. In exchange they also negotiated contracts to build multiple nuclear power plants in Iran. Russia is well aware of the Cheney plan for the Casapian Sea pipeline which will be cheaper to build if the US goes through Iran. Iran does not want to negotiate with the US on this pipeline. Cheney wants regime change, but Russia does not because it''s not in there economic interest. Thats the real deal !
Russia reneged on contracts with BP oil UK for new Siberian wells and also renegotiated contracts for existing BP production wells in Russia for less money. BP was not happy and teamed up with US oil interests for the Caspian Pipeline deal now under construction.

[samsel3]

Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline Co. major Israeli oil company needs more crude and this is why the Turkey Israeli pipelines are going to be built......From there corporate site some info..".One of the reasons that triggered this project was the assumption that part of the crude oil produced in Russia, the Central Asian Republics or in the Caucasus and loaded at Black Sea ports can be marketed at competitive prices for distribution in Southern Asia and the Far East".

[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]

Well seeing how Iran only makes crud, er, crude, who cares

Posted by mudrose at 03:45 PM : Jan 10, 2008......Big Oil cares they are in competition with Russia the second largest supplier of oil on the planet. They are after markets in southeast asia and need to isolate Iran for control. The Israeli''s are also involved with the four pipelines coming down the coast from Turkey to Ashkelon. Read on....

[feelfree1]

Breaking....

"al-Qaeda-in-Iraq" releases comedy music video:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7IlrifVeYA

[glaswolf]

This is most unfortunate. Our friends from the New European Empire are not going to feel too safe. Even our Israeli pushers will have to consider reflective second thoughts. Bush''s handlers had better get a grip on information flow, or the Pentagon should pass him a military crew, because the civilians aroung him are creating a dangerous reality with their negligence or lack of common sense. The Boys got problems with his information filters and processors.

[Con Mohrat]

Both sides have a history of lying--but only one side stands to gain from true confrontation by starting a war.

True.

President Ahmedinejad lied at Columbia University, NY last year when he said "THERE ARE NO *** IN IRAN."

Many people here objected to that statement. EXCEPT *** Cheney and Senator Larry Craig.

I wonder why.

[feelfree1]

Rough couple of days for U.S. propagandists.

First, the U.S. issues tapes that appear to have been doctored, and that do not show what was claimed.

Then, Iran realeases their own tape, which appears to expose the U.S. account as a lie.

Then the U.S. Navy backpedals on their original lie.

I am glad to see that the U.S./Israeli scare-mongerers are so obviously inept.

[tbweb]

The Iranians have many unmanned flying drones patrolling the Persian Gulf. I recall recently an image Posted on the web by Iran showing off the flight deck of a U.S. Aircraft Carrier from one of their flying drones, bragging about how they knew where all the U.S. warships were and what they were doing. So the question is since Iran has that capability and displayed it, why does Iran need to send out 5 speed boats to identify and challenge U.S. warships? Iran did it to intimidate and provoke a premature U.S. response to use for propaganda to bolster the failing Ahmadinejihad regime, but it failed. Case closed!

[joesrc1]

IRAN IS SCARED,TWENTY YEARS FROM NOW THIER FUTURE IN THE NEW WORLD ORDER IS BLEAK AT BEST AND THEY KNOW IT.

[clestes-2009]

So now the tape may not even have the voices of the sailors from the boats??

This whole incident looks more and more fishy. This sounds like another attempt to fake some reason to attack Iran. Bush is still bleating about how dangerous Iran is and his whole trip to the middle east has less to do with peace than another attempt to isolate Iran.

So far from isolating Iran, he has made sure that they have become a power to be reckon with in the middle east!!

What a complete doofus he is.

[inventagod]

The Bu$h CIA creates a fake tape, hoping for a reason to invade Iran for the remaining Middle East Oil...

And FEMA pretended to have a news conference and released the Iran Fastboat Tape, huh?

I am amazed at the audacity of the lying Bu$h Regime.

[jowand]

"Remember how the military and Bush have lied about everything from curveball, to what happened in Fallujah, to outing agents--you name it--they have a lie for it and only admit the truth when someone busts them ---pathetic--even worse are the patsies who believe each new lie even as old lies are being debunked."

I do remember.

It is very sad.
Posted by FeelFree1 at 06:58 PM : Jan 10, 2008

Go crawl back into you AQ hole