January 08, 2008

US To Release Recordings Of Threats From Iranian Patrol Boats - UPDATE: Video Released

According to Iranian officials, the recent encounter between three U.S. naval vessels and five Iranian fast boats was 'No special engagement'. Iran claims their fast boats failed to correctly identify the three U.S Navy vessels, and that the encounter was 'an ordinary identification'.

It seems the U.S. government is about to put the lie to these claims, supported by audio and video recordings of the event:

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - The U.S. military has video and audio recordings of Iranian boats that threatened to blow up U.S. Navy vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and plans to release them, the top Navy commander in the Mideast said Tuesday.

Vice Adm. Kevin Cosgriff disputed Iranian claims that the incident early Sunday was a routine encounter, saying Iran's "provocative" actions were "deadly serious" to the U.S. military.

...

Cosgriff, the commander of U.S. 5th Fleet, which patrols the Gulf and is based in nearby Bahrain, said the American vessels had already been identified by Iranian authorities earlier in the day before the confrontation occurred.

"The group had been successfully queried by an Iranian ship, possibly a Revolutionary Guards ship, and two or three Iranian (shore) stations and an Omani station," Cosgriff told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Tuesday.

The U.S. commander also pointed out that the American ships were clearly marked and the incident took place during the day when they could be seen. "I can't help but conclude that it was provocative," Cosgriff said.

"There is video" of the incident, Cosgriff said. "We're using it as part of our assessment. That will be made available in due course, as well as the audio."

UPDATE:
The video has been released and is below the fold.