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Iran Accuses U.S. of Faking Persian Gulf Video
Topic Started: Jan 9 2008, 04:59 PM (252 Views)
Dandandat
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Time to put something here
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Iran Accuses U.S. of Faking Persian Gulf Video
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By NAZILA FATHI
Published: January 10, 2008
TEHRAN — The Revolutionary Guards in Iran accused the United States on Wednesday of fabricating a video showing Iranian speedboats confronting United States Navy warships in the Persian Gulf over the weekend, according to a report carried by the semi-official Fars news agency and state-run television.

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Post a Comment | Read Comments“Images released by the U.S. Department of Defense about the Navy vessels are from archive, and sounds on it are fabricated,” an unnamed Revolutionary Guards official said, according to Fars. The news agency has close links to the Revolutionary Guards. The comments were Iran’s first on the video, which the Pentagon released Tuesday.

The Pentagon immediately dismissed the assertion. Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, told correspondents that Iran’s “allegation is absurd, factually incorrect and reflects the lack of seriousness with which they take this serious incident.”

President Bush chastised Iran on Tuesday for committing a “provocative act.” On Wednesday, at the start of a trip with Mr. Bush to the Middle East, Stephen J. Hadley, his national security adviser, again warned Iran, saying that it had “to be very careful about this, because if it happens again, they are going to bear the consequences of that incident.”

The unnamed Revolutionary Guards official asserted that the video had been released to coincide with Mr. Bush’s trip and “was in line with a project of the Western media to create fear.” The official said the sounds and the images on the video did not go together. “It is very clear that they are fake,” the official said.

The video and audio were recorded separately and then matched, Naval and Pentagon officials said Tuesday.

The episode was first described by American officials on Monday, who said it took place the day before in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

They said five armed Iranian speedboats had approached three United States Navy warships in international waters, then maneuvered aggressively as radio threats were issued that the American ships would be blown up.

The confrontation ended without shots fired or injuries.

The video runs just over four minutes and, according to Pentagon officials, was shot from the bridge of the guided missile destroyer Hopper. It supported the American version of events, showing speedboats maneuvering around and among the Navy warships.

“I am coming to you,” a heavily accented voice says in English. “You will explode after a few minutes.”

Navy officials said the voice was recorded from the internationally recognized bridge-to-bridge radio channel.

An American sailor then is heard repeating the threat, stating, “He says, ‘You will explode after a few minutes.’ ” The American is also heard identifying the Navy vessel as a “coalition warship” and announcing: “I am engaged in transit passage in accordance with international law. I intend no harm.”

Bush administration officials say they believe that Iran was trying to provoke the United States on the eve of the president’s visit to the Middle East.

“We viewed it as a provocative act,” Mr. Bush told reporters in the Rose Garden on Tuesday, just hours before he left for the weeklong trip in the Middle East. “It is a dangerous situation, and they should not have done it, pure and simple.”

Mr. Bush said pointedly that he would use the trip to remind American friends and allies in the region that Iran poses a danger. "I’m going to remind them what I said in that press conference when I sat there and answered some of your questions,” Mr. Bush said.

“Iran was a threat, Iran is a threat, and Iran will continue to be a threat if they are allowed to learn how to enrich uranium,” he added. “And so I’m looking forward to, you know, making it clear that the United States of America sees clearly the threats of this world, and we intend to work with our friends and allies to make that part of the world more secure.”

Mr. Bush made his comments, his first on the event, during an appearance intended to put a spotlight on the first anniversary of his speech announcing a troop buildup in Iraq.



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captain_proton_au
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A Robot in Disguise

Talk about sore losers
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somerled
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Admiral MacDonald RN
Wouldn't be the first time the USA has tried a stunt like that to perhaps start a shooting war. (ie Viet Nam)

Convenient that there was someone with a video camera on the bridge to record some of the action too. :rolleyes:
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8247
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Apparently we look like this now
somerled
Jan 9 2008, 08:03 PM
Wouldn't be the first time the USA has tried a stunt like that to perhaps start a shooting war. (ir Viet Nam)

Convenient that there was someone with a video camera on the bridge to record some of the action too. :rolleyes:

:rolleyes:

Every point and shoot digital camera can record video, and they have actual video cameras that are about the same size as a point and shoot.
Sailors carry them with them.

Careful, Somerled..The black choppers have been seen in Australia.

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Franko
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Part of this is likely for internal propoganda purposes within Iran.


"We're not afraid of the US Navy" is sort of the angle here. Plays well at home.

Of course, nothing really happened, since if they had attacked a US warship, well.......


Just more silly games by Iran.


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ImpulseEngine
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somerled
Jan 9 2008, 08:03 PM
Wouldn't be the first time the USA has tried a stunt like that to perhaps start a shooting war.  (ie Viet Nam)

What "stunt" did the US try this time and what was the "first time" (i.e., Vietnam) stunt?
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somerled
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ImpulseEngine
Jan 10 2008, 03:55 PM
somerled
Jan 9 2008, 08:03 PM
Wouldn't be the first time the USA has tried a stunt like that to perhaps start a shooting war.  (ie Viet Nam)

What "stunt" did the US try this time and what was the "first time" (i.e., Vietnam) stunt?

Just prior to the Viet Nam war : when that destroyer claimed it returned fire with North Vietnamese shore batteries (turned out this was faked).

Since no shots were exchanged in this case - hard to tell who is propogandising and who carried out the stunt against who in this case.

Bit like the visit to Israel right now - which is also a stunt.

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Admiralbill_gomec
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somerled
Jan 10 2008, 03:16 AM
ImpulseEngine
Jan 10 2008, 03:55 PM
somerled
Jan 9 2008, 08:03 PM
Wouldn't be the first time the USA has tried a stunt like that to perhaps start a shooting war.  (ie Viet Nam)

What "stunt" did the US try this time and what was the "first time" (i.e., Vietnam) stunt?

Just prior to the Viet Nam war : when that destroyer claimed it returned fire with North Vietnamese shore batteries (turned out this was faked).

Since no shots were exchanged in this case - hard to tell who is propogandising and who carried out the stunt against who in this case.

Bit like the visit to Israel right now - which is also a stunt.

Would you care to expand on this bit of recollection?
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ImpulseEngine
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somerled
Jan 10 2008, 03:16 AM
ImpulseEngine
Jan 10 2008, 03:55 PM
somerled
Jan 9 2008, 08:03 PM
Wouldn't be the first time the USA has tried a stunt like that to perhaps start a shooting war.  (ie Viet Nam)

What "stunt" did the US try this time and what was the "first time" (i.e., Vietnam) stunt?

Just prior to the Viet Nam war : when that destroyer claimed it returned fire with North Vietnamese shore batteries (turned out this was faked).

Since no shots were exchanged in this case - hard to tell who is propogandising and who carried out the stunt against who in this case.

I believe you're referring to the Gulf of Tonkin incident in which case the destroyer was the USS Maddox. If so, you need to check your facts - "turned out this was faked" is just plain wrong. In reality, that is one opinion that's out there. But I'm not surprised you digested it like it's fact.

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Bit like the visit to Israel right now - which is also a stunt.
Is this supposed to be the current "stunt" because I asked you about that too. :headscratch:
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RTW
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somerled
Jan 10 2008, 01:16 AM
Just prior to the Viet Nam war : when that destroyer claimed it returned fire with North Vietnamese shore batteries (turned out this was faked)..

If you can be bothered, will you please provide a source for this? Thanks!

somerled
Jan 10 2008, 01:16 AM
Since no shots were exchanged in this case - hard to tell who is propogandising and who carried out the stunt against who in this case.

Was this even news in the States before the denial? I could only find one source that was not about the allegations of fraud.

"Hey! I have a great idea! Let's create some propaganda and then not tell anyone about it!" :rolleyes:

It's like the dumb criminal who goes to the police station to deny committing a crime that hasn't even been reported yet.
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