2019-06-14, 01:20 | Link #1 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Persian Gulf
U.S. Says Video Shows Iranian Forces Removing Dud Mine From
Damaged Tanker: "After Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran of launching the attacks on two tankers transiting the area, U.S. Central Command has now released impressive video and photographic evidence that appears to show an Iranian Navy or Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps fast boat going back to remove a dud limpet mine from the Kokuka Courageous's damaged hull. That move alone is incredibly brazen considering the amount of attention and subsequent surveillance on the stricken vessels the attacks prompted. In addition, USS Bainbridge, a U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke class destroyer on the scene, snapped this photo showing one of the mines undetonated and still attached to the hull: According to the Navy, the go-fast boat pulled up to the ship and detached the dud mine some nine hours after the first distress call from the tanker came in. This appears to be a bizarrely brazen move by the Iranians. The small boat, which also packed a ZU-23 23mm autocannon, was likely tracked back to its place of origin after removing the mine. According to our sources, American helicopters, drones, and a P-8 Poseidon was overhead the area throughout the day, and that's not to mention surface and subsurface assets and those of U.S. allies in the vicinity. Also, the speed boat was relatively packed with people. This is so odd for such a risky mission. Maybe their commander told them they are better off risking grabbing their mistake than leaving it in place and suffering the internal consequences." See: https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...damaged-tanker Looks like they tried a bit too hard to cover their tracks ............ |
2019-06-14, 07:38 | Link #2 |
AS Oji-kun
Join Date: Nov 2006
Age: 74
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I remain unpersuaded by the Trump Administration's version of events. Any number of actors could have undertaken these attacks including the Saudis, their Gulf partners, and most militia groups. The US claim that only the Iranians possess the technology to carry out this action is patently absurd.
Nor has the US provided any explanation for how it would benefit Iran to blow up two ships with ties to Japan while Abe Shinzo is visiting Tehran? I've seen this scenario before -- once in Iraq and once before that in Southeast Asia. Bolton and Pompeo, and their buddies in Riyadh and elsewhere, are itching to construct a scenario where Iran will act "provocatively" and trigger a US military reaction. The potential for escalation is great. I recommend these: https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoff...port-attacked/ https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-...tanker-attacks https://www.economist.com/leaders/20...erica-and-iran
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2019-06-15, 00:51 | Link #3 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Iran Tried To Shoot Down U.S. Reaper Drone Near Tankers
Hours Before Attacks: Report: "Iranian boats reportedly tried and failed to shoot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone flying, which was monitoring their movement in the Gulf of Oman just hours before attacks on a pair of oil tankers in the same general area two days ago. This comes amid separate reports that Iran has been interfering with the ongoing efforts to recover one of the two tankers, the Front Altair, which had suffered a serious fire in the incident. CNN was first to report the new details, citing an unnamed U.S. government official, on June 14, 2019. The source described the weapon the Iranian's employed as a "missile," but did not specify what type. They added that it had missed the drone and fallen into the ocean. They did not say whether or not the unmanned aircraft had subsequently observed the Iranians conducting any actual attacks on the Front Altair or a second tanker, the Kokuka Courageous. Given the generally small size of Iran's various armed speed boats, it seems very likely that the weapon in question was a short-range, heat-seeking, man-portable, shoulder- fired, surface-to-air missile, commonly known as MANPADS, which stands for Man Portable Air Defense System. Iran's military and quasi-military Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) both have various types of these weapons in service, including locally produced clones and derivatives of Chinese models." See: https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...attacks-report |
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