U.S. rescues 13 Iranians held hostage by pirates

[IDemo]

January 6, 2012 11:32 AM

(CBS News)

The U.S. Navy has rescued 13 Iranians held hostage by pirates in the Arabian Sea, a Pentagon official confirmed to CBS News Friday.

Pentagon spokesman Capt. John Kirby told Reuters that U.S. forces captured 15 pirates, believed to be Somali natives, who are presently being held on the USS John C. Stennis.

The aircraft carrier is part of the navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet. The ship sailed through the Strait of Hormuz last month during Iranian naval drills, prompting Tehran to warn the U.S. vessels not to return. Iran has recently threatened to block the strait, a key oil supply route, as the U.S. and European Union consider implementing tough new sanctions on the country.

The U.S. has said it will continue sailing ships in the Persian Gulf despite Iran's warning.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57353833/u.s-rescues-13-iranians-held-hostage-by-pirates/

[barbtries]

1. wouldn't it be nice

if our countries could be as nice to each other as these freed hostages and their rescuers are undoubtedly being right now?
can't we all just get along.

[ronnie624]

8. Polls taken in Iran over the years,

Last edited Sat Jan 7, 2012, 02:48 AM - Edit history (1)

show a considerable amount of good will toward the U.S. for some reason. They admire our culture, they like American fashion, cars, music, video games and movies, and a large majority would like normalized relations with the United States and would like to travel here. I hear things that are completely different about Iran from the Americans I know.

This goodwill toward America could be positively exploited, in my opinion. But my Ideas would not include dominating Middle Eastern energy reserves and eliminating Iran as an influence in its own area of the world.

[barbtries]

9. i'm with you.

why countries need enemies. why peace is never mentioned as a goal.

[Hosnon]

16. I've seen that as well.

The people generally like us; the problem is with the leadership.

[ronnie624]

32. Iran's government can be dealt with non-violently.

They have never been in the habit of deploying their military aggressively. It' a theocratic dictatorship, but that is an issue that concerns only Iranians.

We've done quite enough, actually. Our government, in partnership with the British, destroyed their parliamentary democracy, and for 25 years, supported one of the most brutal dictatorships in the history of the region. When the Iranians threw off their brutish, American backed puppet regime, the U.S., In a fit of anger, invoked punitive sanctions, and then proceeded to promote and help to sustain a horrific 10 year war between Iraq and Iran, that did severe damage to both countries and resulted in the deaths of millions. How could Iran's politics become anything but radicalized?

[stockholmer]

34. +1

well put

[cstanleytech]

35. Perhaps they can be but I have my doubts

since they did that crackdown a few years ago after it had seemed they were maturing but sure by all means we should try to peacefully find a solution but if they do get a nuke and use it to threaten other nations would you consider supporting the sending in of a strike force to destroy it and their nuclear facilities?

[ronnie624]

36. Iran's behavior has never suggested insanity to me.

Last edited Sat Jan 7, 2012, 01:42 PM - Edit history (1)

Nothing in Iran's history suggests a propensity for overt state violence.

Sending in a strike force is not trying to find a peaceful solution. You don't have a right to attack others as a guarantee that they won't attack you. You just don't. No legal charter on earth would support such thinking. If you do, then it is you who is the aggressor.

Look at the histories of both Iran and the United States, and judging strictly by the patterns of conduct established by each, which is the most likely to attack others?

[cstanleytech]

37. Allow me to restate I am fully for trying a peaceful approach

by all means, we dont after all need to get into another war if we can avoid it however if and this is an "if" Iran were to develop a nuclear weapon and begin to use it as a threat to other nations including perhaps ours are you sure the best course would be to allow them to do to?

[ronnie624]

40. I don't know what you mean when you say "use it as a threat".

Any country, I suppose, has the potential to suddenly go berserk and begin threatening others. They're all run by humans, after all, but I can't imagine a scenario where Iran in particular will, for no reason at all, just up and threaten other countries with nuclear weapons. Iran's 'threats' have always been predicated on the actions of others. They're surrounded by invaders, for heaven's sake, and yet their behavior still doesn't suggest threats of attack against others.

Past actions are all we have to go on when evaluating the conduct of other countries. Anything else is just trying to read minds.

U.S. policy makers want to eliminate Iran as a deterrent to their own plans of control over energy, the giver of life to modern human civilization. Such control offers tremendous economic and strategic advantage. They are the ones who are aggressive and threatening. I know this to be a fact by simply analyzing their history of conduct.

[cstanleytech]

42. Really? You are unable to tell when someone is threating you?

Well let me help, threat as in telling the varies governments that they will comply with x demands or else Iran will use the weapon......that kind of threat.

Edit: Now I am not saying that they will do that, they might not be developing them at all but if they do so and use it as an offensive rather than defensive way do you believe that they should be allowed to do so?

[ronnie624]

43. I would never support preemptive attacks against other countries, just in case.

That would be a violation of international law.

Again, even if Iran had the ability to launch serious attacks against its neighbors, there is no indication it will do so, even if they did have nuclear weapons. Iran is ringed by a powerful, technologically advanced, invading army. A trapped leopard will snarl ferociously, but if you back off, they tend to turn and run. Iran is not going to attack anyone, unless they are provoked.

U.S. interest in the Middle East is about securing control of energy.

[cstanleytech]

44. I believe you might be confusing this just a bit with Iraq.

That was a stupid and imo illegal "just in case" war to borrow your words but with Iran I am asking if and only if they do develop it and actually use it as a threat, I am not talking about hitting them now before they have it or right after they announce they have but rather only if they actually try to use it in any way other than defensive from another country who initiates say an invasion of their country.

[hack89]

45. What about Poland in 39?

did they have a legitimate right to preemptively attack the Nazi army massed on their borders?

[ronnie624]

47. Your analogy is inaccurate.

Having a huge army amassed on a border is a clear indication of aggressive intentions, which is not the case with Iran. It was obvious long before the invasion of Poland that Hitler was hell-bent on aggressive expansion. I don't see any such tendencies on Iran's part. Your comparison is hyperbolic.

[Wind Dancer]

46. And which country HAS used .....

... nuclear weapons in the past?

[quakerboy]

22. Its also interesting to talk with Veterans who were stationed in Iran

back before the revolution.

Crazy to think that easily within living memory, we had troops stationed in Iran, able to live off base, out in the community. Yet now they are some massive threat, half the reason for us to even need a military as a nation.

[Hippo_Tron]

23. Iranian intelligence helped the US in Afghanistan after 9/11

Al Qaeda and the Taliban were a menace to them as well and they were more than happy to have them gone. Some say that we were on the path to normalized relations with Iran until Shitforbrains announced the "Axis of Evil".

[99th_Monkey]

27. Not to mention HUGE public candlelight vigils in Iran, in solidarity w/ US after 911 "attack" nt

[ronnie624]

31. Exactly.

The Iranian government was among the first to extend its condolences on 9/11. One can easily imagine the Bush administration's response.

[Historic NY]

30. Iran has a young population, well educated.....

they admire western ways and many came here to school. Many there still have family here....and they communicate on a regular basis


http://www.payvand.com/news/09/nov/1125.html

[freshwest]

19. Yes, the value should be on life, not the nationalism, ego and oil.

[kenfrequed]

2. We should use the opportunity

Seriously with some work through the state department and exceptional treatment of the hostages and their repatriation we could probably try to mend bridges with Iran.

[JDPriestly]

3. Good work by our Navy.

What will our Navy do with the Iranians now?

And will Iran bother to say, "Thank you"?

Are we getting the whole story?

This is a puzzling story. In fact, it seems to be just a fragment of a story that could stay small or get very big. Lots of unanswered questions at this point.

[Marrah_G]

5. I would think they would get the Iranians home asap

I think the Iranian people will see this as the good thing that it is, but that the government probably won't talk about it much in a positive manner.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

14. I'd bet the Iranian sailors are in no hurry

except, of course, they want to see their families.

Meanwhile, good health care, good food, I'm sure they're being treated well. We don't want to return them to Iran in an unhealthy state.

[quakerboy]

25. Why would you bet that?

[99th_Monkey]

28. The US Navy allowed the Iranians to return home on their own ship

saw it on tee-vee newz .. also the Iranians were headed home on their
own ship many wearing some baseball caps gifted to them by US Navy
personnel .. quite a story really, not unlike that song about WWI ...
Christmas in the Trenches

[Marrah_G]

4. I am very happy for those Iranian sailors

Things like this are how we could change the world- By offering a hand and not a fist.

By "we" I mean human beings, not "America"

[freshwest]

20. +1

[vminfla]

6. Clear demonstration of the value of the US Navy

"It's what we do. And it's what we do in that part of the world. We get a distress call, as we did in the case, even though it came from an Iranian ship when the pirates went after them we respond to those calls," Panetta said.


Well Said Panetta, well said.

[Uncle Joe]

7. Well that's good news.

Thanks for the thread, IDemo.

[Bucky]

10. This is the perfect news story--America using its soft power by kicking ass.

Plus it has pirates. If the pirates had robots and the US Navy had been helped by ninja monkeys, it would have been too perfect.

[ManiacJoe]

11. Soft power?

[geardaddy]

13. There's one thing missing from that story

Narwhals (Stab you god damn, etc.)



Except the Navy was in the wrong ocean for that.

[ronnie624]

33. Lol.

[Drunken Irishman]

12. Somehow, someway, Mitt Romney is going to attack Obama on this...

[DCBob]

15. For sure...

Mittens will say Obama is too weak and too pro-Iranian.

[Brigid]

17. Americans rescuing Iranian hostages. Oh, the irony.

Yes, it is good that the hostages were rescued. Yes, we can hope that this will be an opportunity for improved relations between our two countries. Yes, most excellent job by our Navy.

But oh, the irony.

[ColesCountyDem]

38. You could cut it with a knife, it's so thick. n/t

[DirkGently]

18. Good. Best use of a Navy yet.

[Royal-T]

26. Well Said DirkGently

.

[BanTheGOP]

21. If the GOP was not destroying the country as it has been, the Middle East would not hate us so much

If the GOP was not destroying the country as it has been, the Middle East would not hate us so much in the first place. That is key. Iran is just as good an ally as anyone in our progressive cause, but they realize that they cannot be too friendly with us because of their justified fear of our right wing nutjobs.

[Royal-T]

24. Its a shame that this is such a rare sight. !!!

I can only imagine what is going on " behind " closed doors on that U.S Navy ship. How I would Love to be a fly on the wall .

I hope they are safely returned Home with their dignity " well " intact.

[unkachuck]

29. "The U.S. Navy has rescued 13 Iranians held hostage..."

....an act of kindness from us to the Iranian people....Ahmadinejad should call President Obama and say, "Thank you Mr. President."

....why war with Iran?....we could learn to love Iran....(they've got oil)

[ensho]

39. this is a good thing our Navy did

much better then killing people

[IDemo]

41. Update: Iran welcomes U.S. rescue of Iranian fishermen

By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 11:17 AM EST, Sat January 7, 2012

Tehran, Iran (CNN) -- Iran on Saturday welcomed the rescue of 13 Iranian sailors by a U.S. Navy ship, calling it a "humanitarian act."

The sailors were on a fishing boat that had been hijacked by pirates in the Arabian Sea, near the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the Navy, a helicopter from the destroyer USS Kidd spotted a suspect pirate boat alongside the Iranian vessel on Thursday. The destroyer is part of the USS John Stennis Strike Group, which moved into the Arabian Sea from the Persian Gulf last week.

As the helicopter spotted the suspect pirate ship, the Kidd received a distress call from the fishing boat's captain, saying pirates were holding him and his crew captive.

http://us.cnn.com/2012/01/07/world/meast/iran-us-navy-rescue/index.html?hpt=hp_t1