Is Iran harassing other Navy vessels besides ones from the US? Not in the last couple of years that I'm aware of. I think my analogy is apt, but you're welcome to disagree.

Any action would have consequences. Iran wants those boats to be "attacked" by the US (even if they're really being provoked into it). Since that's what they want, it's vital to deny it. Emasculating, even, since it's basically the US saying "You're not worth the effort"

And it depends on who within Iran. There are multiple factions competing for power.. Believe it or not Rouhani is "moderate." It could be the military hardliners trying to to scuttle nucular agreement talks. And it's my understanding the Islamic Revolutionary Guard is essentially backing a political party that competes with Rouhani's party.

We really wouldn't want to inadvertently back the IRGC.

Yet another example of the benefits of having an apolitical military, and why we (the U.S.) should never take it for granted.

When i was a young LT in Panama ;-) We used to get these missions occasionally to provide security for various vessels transiting the Panama Canal. We'd man OPs (observation points) where it was likely someone might try to put a RPG into a vessel. Mostly we were missioned to do this when sensitive vessels (either their cargo, vessel type, or both) were transiting.

For example we were out when Queen Elizabeth transited the Canal her way to visit President Reagan in Calif and the royal yacht locked thru.

We were out doing this mission for some sensitive vessel transit one night when i got a call from one of my OPs. "Hey Sir, we got a vehicle just pulled up at firing point XYZ" Holy Sit! So i get on the radio. "Don't do anything unless someone gets out with a RPG--I'll be right there." My driver and I pile into my jeep and race thru the dark to this spot. Yes, this was well before HMMWVs. I get to my team and the Sniper/OP team leader tells me "Sir, the vehicle is just sitting there but the special cargo is due thru here in less than half an hour" So I tell them to provide me cover and if someone opens up on me to light em up. Then my driver and I approach the vehicle from a oblique angle off their left rear. As we get close I leave my driver to cover me with his M16 and approach the vehicle with my trusty Colt M1911 .45 pistol and AN/PVS-5 night vision goggles. The pistol was probably manufactured during WWII; Those old PVS-5 are primitive by today's standards but were 'high tech' back in the early-80s. As I get closer, and those primitive NVGs finally give me decent resolution I can see that the car is bouncing up and down. Well, you know the rest of the story. Couple of Zonie Kids enjoying a romantic interlude. Poor kid had his date night shot to hell when some dude wearing night googles looms up in the dark and taps on his window with a pistol. Haha.

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Steve

Do you know what we have tried diplomatically? I have no idea, but if you know let us know.

So what would President windy do? How about SecState windy? Let's hear your better idea.

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Suffer Well.

Well, we could always shoot down one of their civilian airliners ... that would send a message.

President windy would say "That was your last goof. You do it again you won't like the response." They do it again say goodbye to Kharag.

And when they do it again, then what exactly? Missile strike on Kharag? Kill all 8,000 people there? Is the right answer? What do you think their response would be?

However, I wouldn't be even considering lifting the sanctions as is being discussed now. In fact, I might look at what new ones could be levied on them should they not comply.

But I wouldn't be inclined to escalate this to a war.

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Suffer Well.

When I was young I was going to Naval Science classes with Iranian Navy midshipmen who wanted to fly F-14's and steam our new Spruance class DD's. Some days I'd like to go back, most days I am content with where I am.

Hell, I had to wiki look up at our "new" Ohio Class SSGN thinking first with a "WTF is a boomer going into the Gulf?"

Good bye to Kharag? Hell, I think even that might be a bit much for your VP Liz Cheney.

Impressive someone is suggesting that a war in the Middle East is a good idea. Just very impressive to ignore *waves hand at everything*

It was reported that some the the small "attack boats" were within 100 yds of the sub I think. Seems very close. How does the navy/coast guard know that some idiot Iranian isn't going to do something very destructive and stupid to a very important asset with many lives aboard. Something like the USS Cole. That ship was in port and it was Al Quaeda (sic)

That was what I was wondering about. The other thing is it is being reported the navy is planning to decomission many of their smaller ships like those used to defend the sub one wonders about the wisdom of that.

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

 Windy's point about a whole bunch of shit going down in the region again and how a strike by us would settle it, tilt it in our favor, make us feel big again is way off the mark. Both sides know there is going to be some bartering at the table soon enough to sort a way forward and both sides are just posturing with the "diplomacy by other means" actors.

Seems like there's a good joke to be had in that story about firing live rounds in the canal, if ya know what I mean.

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Eliot
blog thing - strava thing

Not sure this would be a great campaign issue for your future Presidential bid.
Most people I know trust the US Navy to establish the right boundaries with regards to this type of behavior.

Admiral Windy has a feel good smack down plan , sounds good but.
This makes me feel old looking at the constant jousting in that gulf since 1980 with the Iranians.
I spent about a year + in that region in the 80’s when the Iranians were going after tankers on and on, what a pain in the ass.
With that tanker activity and a few times they pulled the tigers tail ( US Navy Ships) they got a can of whoop ass with Operation Praying Mantis.
Not sure that would happen in today’s times , I feel it is warranted.

USS Stark 1987 after two Iranian missiles , 37 US Sailors killed May 17, 1987.

I wouldn't be the one escalating though. Clear warning and clear consequences announced ahead of time. The oil terminals are offshore. Capitulation.

They don't know that those boats aren't planning to do something stupid, which is why they run through a whole continuum of measures designed to either warn off the Iranians or to determine that they have ill intent. They start with various types of communications, warnings, flares, etc, and eventually get to warning shots, prior to actual destructive fire. 150yds was what I saw reported, and yes, that's pretty close.

As to decommissioning the Patrol Coastal ships, that's been in the wind for awhile. They're old, small, only useful for a limited scope of missions, and the defensive job can be done by several other types of ships. At this point, I suspect they cost more to keep running than they may be worth.

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Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

This is exactly what a weak ass pussy would say.

How’d I do Windy?

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How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

Poorly, but that is expected

Your post serves to highlight just how f'ed the region has been with allegiances shifting over time where 1000's of years old tribes rule over their people autonomously within borders of just recently boundary drawn nation states.

While we were fairly much on the fence during the Iran Iraq War, trying only to keep shipping safe and moving into and out of the gulf In 1987, it was missiles fired by french built aircraft piloted by an Iraqi pilot and not the Iranians that killed 37 aboard the Stark. But then we made it "right" by also misplacing the identity and intent of a commercial Iranian aircraft and promptly shot it out of the sky.

Just 2 summers ago while we were trying to sort out who was placing limpet mines on tankers and who shot missiles into Saudi Arabia we had USMC owned and operated weapons aboard a USN ship shoot down a bad guy drone flying by for look sees.

There was the "just" war moving into liberate that all so important "friendly" manufactured sovereignty Kuwait and the capture of an unjust dictator Hussein. Which then of course got us into the other unending Mission not quite accomplished conflict.

I could also mention that a long standing NATO ally of ours basically telling us to clear out and not stand in their way as they attacked our other not so long battlefield friend and not foe the Kurds.

Simple solutions do not exist. Accords reached either diplomatically or through warfare do not stand. It is almost as if the title of this thread could be amended to read "Always in the Persian Gulf" and then fill in the conflict of the week.

Ya got ahead of myself on the Iraq / Iran it was early before cup of Joe.
We did have a run in with a Iranian mine in 88.

Concede then on fence should read hopping the fence as it suited our "National Security" needs.