Current mood:	bored
Entry tags:	politics

Latest flap with Iran


First tip off that all was not what it seemed - in all the press conferences after Iranian boats allegedly threatened to blow up U.S. warships, there was no mention of exactly where the U.S. ships were at the time. "International waters" was thrown around a lot, but in the Strait of Hormuz, it's not that simple. It's very narrow, with several islands in dispute. As it turns out, the strait is well within Iranian territorial waters, and there is some international treaty that says people can safely pass through such areas. And of course, the U.S. hasn't yet ratified the treaty.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JA15Ak02.html

As for the threatening voice. It turns out the voice came over an open channel and nobody knows who was talking, though the voice doesn't have an Iranian accept, and it sounds more like a notorious character known as "the filipino monkey", some nebulous person or person who for years has been filling the open radio channel with offensive chatter.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,2240533,00.html

And leave it to the U.S. press to go on and on about an incident a few years back when some non-Iranians blew a hole in a U.S. warship. As if the Iranians must all have this incident fresh on their mind. Of course, the Iranians are probably remembering another incident a few years ago, when a U.S. warship shot down an Iranian civillian jet, killing 290 men women and children.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655