"The Iranians were wrong.
They could have simply instructed them that they were Iranian waters and leave.
They could have assisted if indeed one of the vessels had mechanical problems."
Plain and simple. This is all that should have happened. It shouldn't even have become a news story. But instead Barry's new "Ally" decided it best to take advantage.
I'd rather be dead than photographed like that. Live on your feet or die on your knees!
They could have simply instructed them that they were Iranian waters and leave.
They could have assisted if indeed one of the vessels had mechanical problems."
Plain and simple. This is all that should have happened. It shouldn't even have become a news story. But instead Barry's new "Ally" decided it best to take advantage.
I'd rather be dead than photographed like that. Live on your feet or die on your knees!
I would agree the Iranians were wrong and this was done to taunt the United States.
However Scott......rather be dead than photographed on your knees? That's easy to say from your cozy living room but when faced with death ......your thoughts on that would prob change. I'd rather have these Americans home and safe (although humiliated)....than dead.
again, disgraceful propaganda bullshit by the Iranians but under the wrong admin.....this becomes much, much worse.
btw.....if Iranians boat accidently came into United States......what would our Navy do? Just curious what some think would happen.
The US Navy, would have them on their knees with hands on heads. They would sit them on the floor and remove their boots. The female Iranian sailor would be made to wear a Christian cross. The commander would volunteer to go on Fox news and apologise and say they were treated well.
But when the Iranian sailors are returned to Iran, they will never be heard of again. I understand they would make an appearance in a soccer stadium in front of a crane.
These were not civilians in a speed boat on a pleasure boat.
There were 2 boats, state of the art boats, heavily armed with mounted machine guns and cannon, very capable boats, easily capable of keeping the inferior Iranian speed boats at a distance. The USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group was nearby. Assets were there, but like Bengahzi they were not used.
There was sufficient capabilities to prevent arrest by Iran.
It was a humiliation.
If it had been Israeli boats, they would not have capitulated. That is the difference.
I doubt whether Russian or Chinese assets in the same situation would of capitulated.
There was no resistance, no attempt to resist and that is very concerning. It sends the wrong message.
I have to agree with Beets. When you choose to join the military you take an oath to defend the country. That means you don’t surrender without a fight.
Having said that there are rules of engagement that must be followed. Such a rule is do not fire unless fired upon. Now such a rule can change day by day, minute by minute.
So it is highly possible that these sailors were restricted on what they could or could not do.
Given the recourses that were in the area I can’t imagine they just surrendered because they were cowards. There’s more to this than we know.
I will say that I’m embarrassed for them. Given the current of appeasement that emanates from the administration I wonder why anyone would choose to join the military.
Having said that there are rules of engagement that must be followed. Such a rule is do not fire unless fired upon. Now such a rule can change day by day, minute by minute.
So it is highly possible that these sailors were restricted on what they could or could not do.
Given the recourses that were in the area I can’t imagine they just surrendered because they were cowards. There’s more to this than we know.
I will say that I’m embarrassed for them. Given the current of appeasement that emanates from the administration I wonder why anyone would choose to join the military.
F***off, mate! How the Aussies repelled Iranian gunboats
Spokesman Commander Steve Gilmore said: "The response of our sailors highlights what is unique about the Australian sailor.
"The courage that was shown in demanding circumstances, the loyalty, the team work were there throughout, and we're very, very proud of the way that the team worked.
"The Australian officer in command seized the initiative and demonstrated very sound judgment and excellent leadership."
He said that during the incident, believed to have occurred in 2004, the 14 Australians, who were on rubber dinghies, had held off the crew of Iranian gunboats by pointing their weapons, yelling curses at them and telling them in no uncertain terms to go away.
More detail
Australians repelled Iranian navy
June 22, 2007 - 1:04PM
The Australian Defence Force says up to five Iranian gunboats tried to capture Australian sailors in the Persian Gulf in December 2004.
A defence spokesman told reporters the four-hour confrontation occurred after Australian navy personnel boarded a grounded cargo ship in the gulf.
Commodore Steve Gilmore said the incident began when Australian soldiers were leaving the cargo vessel, which was located near the Iraq-Iran maritime border.
He said an Iranian Revolutionary Guard gunboat moved close by and its armed personnel made "very overt gestures".
The boarding party commander ordered the Australians to re-board the cargo ship.
"He got his boarding party back on to the ship and established a very credible and appropriate defensive position," Commodore Gilmore told reporters in Canberra.
"(They) began what I think is very unique in the Australian way and that's the capacity to negotiate, to introduce extra weighpoints if you like, in the continuum of force," he said.
'Tense period'
Another four Iranian military boats carrying rocket-propelled grenade launchers arrived to reinforce their colleagues in the next 45 minutes, Commodore Gilmore said.
"Over a tense period of four hours the boarding party was eventually successfully extracted by helicopter back to the (HMAS) Adelaide.
The Australians had originally boarded the MV Sham from two inflatable boats launched from the HMAS Adelaide while a Seahawk helicopter carried out surveillance.
No shots were fired during the encounter.
"We were able to keep that as the case by the very deliberate, well-considered and well-executed negotiation process that the Australian boarding officer undertook.
"The determined approach, the no-nonsense approach of the Australian boarding party, was able to effectively manage that situation."
The Australians' handling of the stand-off was today being compared to that of British sailors captured by Iranian forces in March this year during a similar operation and accused of straying into Iranian waters.
The Britons were paraded on Iranian television and eventually released amid a diplomatic storm.
Commodore Gilmore said there were similarities and differences between the two incidents.
"It's very difficult to predict the (British) outcome should have been the same as the Australian outcome because it wasn't the same circumstances."
Commodore Gilmore said the intentions of the Iranians had not been clear.
"It was certainly quite overt and they were attempting to establish what the Australians were doing, there's no doubt about that."
Colourful language
A BBC reporter, quoting sources, said the Australian sailors used colourful language to help hold off the Iranians. Commodore Gilmore said: "As Australians I think we all know our capacity to engage, to defuse by discussion and they indeed did that.
"We might imagine what (language) was there - I haven't delved into that.
"The important thing to note is that it worked."
The commodore, who commanded the joint task maritime task force in the Gulf shortly after the incident, said the Australian sailors had handled themselves superbly.
"Those values that I think were displayed really do highlight what is unique about the Australian soldier - the courage that was shown in demanding circumstance, the loyalty, the teamwork were there throughout."
Two members of the team were awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for their conduct during the incident.
Commodore Gilmore said it was not reported at the time because while unique in some ways it was representative of operations in the Gulf at the time.
"From an operation circumstance I don't believe there was any recognition there was a need to highlight that particular activity."
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Not to mention, he and the dimocrap minions are jumping up and down on their trampolines and citing "diplomacy."
Had a US ship drifted into Italian or British territory, do you think the Italian or British would have taken pictures of our soldiers on their knees with guns drawn on them...and then broadcast it on their TV networks? What the hell do you think ISIS is going to do with this when they see American soldiers on their knees begging for forgivenesses?
But oh, I forgot. Donald Trump is the one who is recruiting for ISIS, not the POS POTUS who allowed this to happen?
Fucking dims are a miserable, disgusting cancer on society. Every last one of them.
The Iranians were clearly trying to humiliate and embarrass the United States......and you can't compare Italian and British territory to Iran.......we aren't even close to the same kind of relationship with Iran.
Instead of you guys blaming Obama , as usual, what should he have done after that? Do you guys ever come up with solutions or alternatives? Do we start another war over it?
I brought up Abu Ghraib,not as a comparison to who patrols what , but as to how we have treated captures as well. Do you think US troops would have drawn their weapons on an Iranian boat with soldiers? We prob would have and if we didn't you guys would blame Obama for making our military pussies.
Nobody should be happy about what we saw but it's a good thing a level headed admin didn't react like a conservative admin would have.
You brought up Abu Ghraib because you're a fucking moron. No other reason.
The idea that it is even worth mentioning is preposterous. But of course as an unthinking, uneducated loon, you wouldn't understand this.
Oh and remember, you can't compare Iranian and British territories to Iran, but you can compare an unauthorized torture center run by Army reservists to a state sanctioned arrest of another nation's sailors that was broadcast approvingly on state television.
