Initial reports claim that Iran has seized a US cargo ship, but according to the Pentagon, the ship was not American and no Americans were aboard. Fox News reports that the ship is from Denmark.
Iranian Navy vessels fired shots at and boarded a Marshall Islands-flagged commercial container ship in the Strait of Hormuz Tuesday, a senior defense official told Fox News.
The Maersk Tigris ship — originally heading to Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates, is now being escorted by the Iranian Navy into waters near Bandar Abbas, home of Iran’s largest Navy base.
The USS Farragut, a guided missile destroyer, is making “best speed” en route to the area and has dispatched a helicopter to get a closer look, the official said.
Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, said the cargo ship’s master had initially refused an Iranian order to move further into Iranian waters, but after the warning shots were fired the Maersk Tigris complied.
The cargo ship, which had more than 30 people aboard, was directed to waters near Larak Island, he said.
The Iranian vessels, numbering five or six, were with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, Warren said.
Related Image
The position of the Maersk Tigris Monday while being escorted by the Iranian Navy. (MarineTraffic.com)
“It is inappropriate” for the Iranians to have fired warning shots across the ship’s bridge in those circumstances, Warren said, adding that it was too early to know whether the Iranian intervention amounted to a violation of the freedom of navigation through a waterway heavily used by international shipping.
The spokesman said the U.S. government has “certain obligations” to defend the interests of the Marshall Islands, but he was uncertain how those obligations apply in this situation.
Warren said no one has been injured and no Americans are involved. The cargo ship issued a distress call and U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, based in the area.
A Maersk spokesman told Fox News that although Maersk, a Danish company based in Copenhagen, owns the vessel, it had “chartered” the ship to Rickmers Ship Management based in Hamburg, Germany. Maersk said it had no information about the crew or the cargo
another Obama move that worked (?)
Obama should be arrested or at the very least IMPEACHED! “So why haven’t our Congressmen and Senators done so, do they too wish to destroy our country?” Repeat “do they too wish to destroy our country?” How smart, how much education does a person have to have to understand that OBAMA is a Muslim and his intent is to destroy this great nation and to make us a Muslim nation. There is no reasoning or with Islam! Muslims will say or do anything to achieve their goal. You convert to Islam or they kill you! Hmmmmm………….. lets think about this: OBAMA wants to allow 75,000 Muslim immigrates into the United States of America and encourage them to join the United States Army. He also wants to ban the most commonly use ammunition in the United States so that when his buddies show up at your door and ask you if you want to be Muslim or have your head cut off they might not get shot !!!!!!!!!!!! ” THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED…. SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OBAMA should be IMPEACHED before he comes up some reason why he should be allowed a third term, because when he gets resistance to the third term he will declare MARTIAL LAW. Wake up America!.
………………………….Looking ahead, how do we (our leaders) prevent another presidential candidate from running for office without presenting an original copy (not digital) of his birth certificate? How do we prevent a future Untied States of America president (regardless of political party) from ignoring the checks and balances put in place by our founding fathers with our Cons$#%&!@*ution and Bill of Rights? How do we prevent abuse of power thru executive privilege? Our leaders should then and now use the power of IMPEACHMENT and arrest!……….. WAKE UP AMERICA!
And, again, we do nothing.
NUKE Deal is DOA; Ship seized belongs to the Marshall Islands; we have a treaty to defend them, senate will demand Obama act if ship isnt released with cargo and crew, otherwise Obama will be guilty of a High Crime in office and impeachable.
Now what Obummer?
carpet bomb on those bastards ,nuke if you have to leave nothing standing
Obama told them it was coming, so they could take it
They know Obama is a P_SSY and won’t do nothing.
this is not good at all, iran flexing muscle, beware
Just think my Marine will be heading there later this year.