CINC 5th Fleet On Iran Incident

Here are a few more details on the incident in the Gulf.

The commander of the U.S. 5th Fleet in the Middle East today called the behavior of Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats that buzzed three U.S. Navy vessels in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday "unduly provocative."

Navy Vice Adm. Kevin J. Cosgriff, who also commands U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, briefed Pentagon reporters via video teleconference from his headquarters in Manama, Bahrain.
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"The five boats approached the U.S. formation on its starboard bow in international waters slightly inside the Gulf from the apex of the strait," Cosgriff said.

The Iranian boats broke into two groups and went on both sides of the U.S. formation. "The groups maneuvered aggressively in the direction of the U.S. ships," Cosgriff said.

U.S. captains called on the radio and sounded the ships' horns to warn the Iranians off, he said. "The (U.S.) ships received a radio call that was threatening to our ships to the effect that they were closing our ships and that the U.S. ships would explode," Cosgriff said.

Subsequently, U.S. sailors observed two of the Iranian boats dropping objects in the water generally in the path of the USS Ingraham. "These objects were white box-like objects that floated," the admiral said. "Obviously the Ingraham passed by safely."

The boats maneuvered close astern, and after 30 minutes they returned in the direction from which they came, back toward Iranian territorial waters. The Iranian boats approached within 500 yards of the U.S. ships, the admiral said.

"It was transit passage in international waters incidental to a routing inbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz," Cosgriff said. "The U.S. ships were clearly marked. It was daylight, (with) decent visibility.

"The behavior of the Iranian ships was unnecessary," he continued, "without due regard to safety of navigation and unduly provocative in the aggregate of their maneuvers, the radio call and the dropping of objects in the water."

The admiral praised the U.S. ships' crews, saying they stepped through procedures carefully, with good discipline and with due regard for all the factors. "I was very proud of their performance and the training they received," Cosgriff said.

So, what were the Iranians up to? They were probably trying to provoke us into responding to their actions with force. Were the "objects" mines? Maybe; but it really doesn't matter, since the Iranians wanted use to think they were. Further, their actions seem designed to make us think they were about to attack.

So, what should we do in the future? First, we should not allow their ships to get within an effective action envelope. These vessels could have engaged ours with torpedoes, ASMs or mines. They could even have attempted a suicide run with boats packed with explosives. We need to make it clear that if Iranian military vessels behave in this fashion again, we will sink them. Second, we need to make it clear that this protection will extend to any commercial shipping in the Gulf. These actions occurred in international waters. Iran cannot be allowed to in any way hamper shipping with impunity. Third, we need to make it clear that any efforts to interdict traffic in the Gulf will result in the destruction of not just the offending ships, but also supporting shore facilities.

In all likelihood, the Iranians are just trying to rattle us. Unless we respond resolutely, the Iranians will just keep pushing. They did so in Iraq when we responded to their proxy attacks on our citizens and those of our allies with nothing but talk. They need to learn that we are not like England (and their shameful groveling during Iran's illegal seizure of British servicemen last year) and that we will not roll over when they threaten our people at sea.

Would steps like this cause a PR backlash? Probably; but allowing the Iranians to think they can close the Gulf and cow the US Navy will only lead to worse problems in the future.

This is not a "shoot on sight" policy; Iranian naval vessels have every right to transit international waters. They do not, however, have the right to threaten or ships. Nor do they have the right to threaten civilian traffic, particularly when that traffic is crucial to the global economy. Proceeding from weakness is not a good policy, particularly when dealing with a regime like that in Tehran.

(Source: DoD Press Release)