Masopher's Mind

American President George Bush almost seems sagacious in his “castigation” of Iranian and IRG January 5th stunt. This event indicates that Iranian administrative and military bodies are spoiling for a fight which they know they will lose all in the name of politics. (1)(2)

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Boats involved in the confrontation:
The USS Hopper – an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer
A frigate and a cruiser of the 5th Fleet (unidentified at this time)
5 Iranian outboard motored speedboats.

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Perhaps emboldened by the NIE (National Intelligence estimate) report of late 2007(3) and certainly with Bush’s middle east “tour” in mind as well as their naval victory against the British, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard assumed “aggressive” stances with a vastly superior United States naval convoy in international waters. Taunts and threats that could have justified some sort of action. Recalling the incident with the USS Cole(4) in these very waters, as well as the Somalian pirate incidents (5) the size of the Iranian boats is irrelevant.
I agree with the Bush advisors that this was an act of provocation, thumbs up the nose and hoping to die for the cause to put yet another fly in the ointment of US Middle east relations.

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President Bush hopes to visit his Middle Eastern Allies Israel, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates with a strong probability of visiting either Afghanistan or Bagdad. He is shoring up ties and support as well as exchanging probably his last goodbyes with his most trusted Middle Eastern allies. His hard right Republican stance has polarized opinion, with a peace and ease loving world strongly against American “hedgemony and war mongering”. It would seem that the several simultaneous wars that have little to do with American Interests will forever be sidelined to the scuffle in Iraq and tiff in Afghanistan.

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Iranian representatives seemingly denied, admitted and played down the incident. Harassing and threatening US assets then must be usual fare.(6)

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Oil prices reacted accordingly.

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Funnily enough Navy times reveals that around the same time Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Menelek M. Brown fell overboard or went missing. (7)

References:

1. Bush Assails Iran for Naval Confrontation
2. Bush Castigates Iran, Calling Naval Confrontation ‘Provocative A
   
3. PDF
4. The Attack On USS Cole
5. Cruise ship repels Somali pirates
6. Iran calls US video ‘fabricated’
7. Navy IDs overboard sailor, declared dead