Close encounter of the "I dare you" kind

Persian Gulf -- For the second time this week, in Iranian vessel sailed tauntingly close to a U.S. Navy ship. But this time, instead of getting out of the way, the American vessel fired three warning shots.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps boat came within 200 yards of the USS Squall on Wednesday. This is equivalent to giving our military 'the finger' and daring us to do something about it.

Earlier in the week, four Iranian boats came within 300 yards of the Nitze, which fired flares and sounded a horn to warn them away. But it was our vessel that got out of the way in the deadly game of 'chicken.'

An American defense official said that the Iranian ships "created a dangerous, harassing situation that could have led to further escalation, including additional defensive measures by Nitze."

Additional defensive measures to the Iranians might translate as a louder-sounding warning horn--they simply are not worried about retaliation under this administration. Obama has made it very clear that we are a nation to be messed with.

Last month, the Navy reported that in 2015, there were almost 300 encounters or "interactions" between the U.S. and Iranian vessels. Officials believe that at the current rate of encounters, the number might increase by 50% this year. 

And while the majority of encounters by Iran aren't considered to be harassment, the Iranian navy's discipline appears to be on par with Hillary Clinton's attempts at honesty.

According to Iran's semi-official news agency, Tasmin, Iran defense minister, Hossein Dehghan, responded to the earlier Nitze incident saying that Iranian boats were patrolling the coast to ensure maritime security. The Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Kamenei also denied that the United States had any legitimate reason to patrol the Gulf, which has important international shipping lanes.

Obviously, the Iranian Supreme Leader knows more about Mohammad's war conquests and sex life with slaves and little girls than he knows about international waters. In a June speech, Khamenei said, "The Persian Gulf security relates to the countries of the region which have common interests, and not to the U.S. So, security of the Persian Gulf region should be provided by the countries of this region itself."

Which also shows his knowledge about our NATO agreements with our allies.

When a country is run as a theocracy, it is usually run by an insolent dictator who is intolerant and cruel to their "flock" and all others. This is the Ayatollah in a nutshell.


Tweet