U.S.- Iran Incident faked ??

Today the New York Times reported that the incident that happened between the speed boats of the Iranian navy and U.S. navy war ships may not have been the provocative incident it seemed to be.

In an article entitled Degrees of Confidence on U.S.-Iran Naval Incident the times quotes x-navy personnel who state that the channel the bomb threat warning was broadcast over is an open channel used both U.S. and Iranian personnel alike for gossip, name calling, playing music, or almost anything else. Anyone on-shore hearing an exchange between the war ships and speed boats could have easily transmitted the bomb threat. The fact that no background noise is heard during the transmission gives credence to this belief. If the message had come from one of the speed boats there should have been the background noise of the engines, chop of the waves; something other than silence. There was no noise heard, except for the broken english of the person making the threat.

In the article  "Iran Accuses U.S. of Faking Persian Gulf Video" Iran has disavowed the incident stating that the entire thing was made up by the Americans because of the visit of Bush to the region and to bolster his attempt to pick a fight with the Iranians.

In an attempt to bolster that claim the Iranians released a 5 minute video of the event with what they claim is the actual conversation between a speed boat and at least one of the war ships (Click here to see an article and the video). While not complete, the video does show that the exchange between the Iranians and Americans was civil and downright ordinary.

I will not attempt to determine whether the incident actually occurred as the press previously stated and as Bush would have us believe, but I do know that such an exaggeration is not beyond our "chimp and cheif's" ability. He is spoiling for a war with Iran and as we have learned from Iraq, will do anything to get his way regardless of who it hurts in the process. George Bush now has nothing to lose. From now, till the end of his administration, he will do whatever he feels God has commanded him to do, even if it destroys our country in the process.

•  U.S. Government is fake. n/t

  by Abra Crabcakeya on Thu Jan 10, 2008 at 11:02:35 AM PDT

•  Who knows what the truth is?

  My guess would be that the Iranians were doing their equivalent of naval exercises. Soviet subs often shadowed American ships and vice versa. All navies try out various maneuvers with the witting or unwitting cooperation of their adversaries.

  by Anne Elk on Thu Jan 10, 2008 at 11:06:58 AM PDT

•  tips for the truth

  by TKH on Thu Jan 10, 2008 at 11:09:59 AM PDT

  •  Yawn...This Iranian Speedboat armed with some

    guys with AK-47s circling USN vessels in the Gulf goes back at least to the 80s. Think that's why our ships' crews stand watch 24-7 in the Gulf.

    All I can figure out is the Pentagon was told to 'whip up something' with Bushie touring Israel, Lebanon, Kuwait and Bahrain. Where did that FEMA fake Press Conference Guy go?

    by deMemedeMedia on Thu Jan 10, 2008 at 12:24:36 PM PDT

    •  maybe on strike with the rest of the writers? n/t

      by peaceloveandkucinich on Thu Jan 10, 2008 at 12:28:07 PM PDT

  •  = whatever Iran says is true!

    Bush wants to attack Iran, therefore Iran's side of every issue is automatically 100% correct.  The DKos drill.

    by Quicklund on Thu Jan 10, 2008 at 12:30:27 PM PDT