Iranian Speedboats Messing With US in Strait of Hormuz; Time to BOMB the *** Out of Iran!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,320587,00.html

U.S. Boats Take Defensive Action Against Iranian Speedboats in Strait of Hormuz
Monday, January 07, 2008

WASHINGTON - The United States warned Iran on Monday to refrain from any further provocations following a weekend standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, off Iran's coast, that ended after U.S. ships armed their weapons in preparation to defend against threatening Iranian boats.

"We urge the Iranians to refrain from such provocative actions that could lead to a dangerous incident in the future," National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Monday.

Pentagon sources say five Iranian Revolutionary Guard speed boats -- described as "cigarette" boats -- charged at the three U.S. Navy ships sailing in the Strait of Hormuz early Sunday en route to the Persian Gulf, FOX News confirmed.

The Iranian boats came within 200 yards of the U.S. ships -- a cruiser, a frigate and a destroyer that U.S. officials said were on a routine transport mission.

The U.S. ships were forced to take defensive action to avoid striking the close-by Iranian boats and armed their weapons, but neither side fired any shots.

The small Iranian boats also reportedly threw boxes into the water ahead of the U.S. boats before speeding off. It could not immediately be determined what was in the boxes.

The Associated Press, citing an anonymous Pentagon official, said the incident occurred at about 5 a.m. local time Sunday.

"There were no injuries but there very well could have been," the AP source said, adding that the Iranian boats turned away "literally at the very moment that U.S. forced were preparing to open fire" in self defense.

The AP source said he didn't have the precise transcript of communications that passed between the two forces, but the Iranians radioed something to the effect that "we're coming at you and you'll explode in a couple minutes."

Last March, Revolutionary Guard boats intercepted a British vessel, holding naval servicemen aboard the vessel for 15 days before releasing them.

The Strait of Hormuz is located between Oman and Iran and connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Up to 17 million barrels of oil are shipped through Strait of Hormuz each day.

And roughly two-fifths of all seaborne traded oil goes through the Strait of Hormuz. The majority of oil exported from the Strait of Hormuz travels to Asia, the United States and Western Europe.


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