Quote:
Originally Posted by rustyp
Help me - not being negative. These Iranian boats are but a tinker toy against our ships which they are harassing. Assuming we are in international waters why wouldn't the orders be stay your course, do not deviate, do not fire unless fired upon ? Doesn't that send a better message of don't mess with us than putting us in the aggressor position ? Surely they will deviate before collision unless they are on a comacazie mission. In which case we gain more knowledge about reality Vs bluff. If we collide with them I hope we would take no more than a dent in the hull. I'm getting older now but I seem to remember this movie.
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Fair question.
They are small boats but they can still damage US ships, and injure/kill US sailors. We were in international waters. The US Navy follows the International Rules of the Road which gives guidance as to whether you turn (burdened vessel) or maintain course (privileged vessel). It changes when the ship is “in extremis” which means a collision is imminent. The simple takeaway is … the Iranians were ignoring the rules.
By way of background, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are their elite military corps. They are all devout Shia Muslims, screened for loyalty to the regime and generally very good fighters. They are basically jihadis in boats, in the case of the IRGC Navy, and looking for ways to earn their 72 virgins by dying in battle … the usual Islamist incentives so to speak.
The Iranian sanctions POTUS put in place are slowly destroying their economy, and which is essentially a kleptocracy where the senior Mullahs make most of the money. The IRGC commanders are also well invested financially in the system. They’re doing their best to hold out till November and hoping for a better Great Satan POTUS to deal with.
Hence, Ali Khameni, the “Supreme Leader” (that’s the actual title … sounds like something from a bad movie, I know) is feeling the squeeze, plus the virus has ravaged Iran. Hence, he really needs something to take his people’s mind off their misery. Thus, poke the Great Satan etc., but the tricky part is to not poke too much lest the Americans level the place.
What I think will probably happen is this. At some point the IRGC small boats will again challenge our patrol boats and destroyers. Our Navy will be happy to smoke several of the boats, since they’ve been harassing us on and off for years. At that point, I think the Iranians will become sufficiently deterred, back down and not bother us any more.