January 07, 2008

U.S.-Iran Tussle Averted, Just In Time For Bush Trip

UPDATED.

Iran has confirmed an incident in which U.S. and Iranian naval vessels appear to have come dangerously close to a military confrontation, but waved off alarm over the near-clash.

"The example that happened on Saturday was similar to previous cases and is an ordinary and natural issue," Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said, according to Reuters. "This is an ordinary issue that happens for the two sides every once in a while and after the identification of the two sides the issue is resolved."

Earlier today, U.S. officials said that the "significant" confrontation between Iranian Revolutionary Guard vessels and three U.S. naval ships ended without a shot fired. The incident came just days before George W. Bush is due in Israel for the first Mideast visit of his presidency.

The five Iranian boats came as close as 200 yards of a U.S. ship, officials said, and in a radio transmission told the Americans, "I am coming at you. You will explode in a couple of minutes."

Following that threat, crew aboard the U.S. ships were preparing to fire when the Iranian ships pulled back, U.S. officials told CNN.

"'It is the most serious provocation of this sort that we've seen yet," a Pentagon official told AP.

The incident occurred early Sunday morning in the Strait of Hormuz, a shipping route in international waters. An Iranian news agency reported that the Revolutionary Guard boats were trying to warn the U.S. ships away from Iranian territorial waters, according to the New York Times.

"We urge the Iranians to refrain from such provocative actions that could lead to a dangerous incident in the future," said White House spokesman Tony Fratto. It isn't yet clear if U.S. and Iranian officials have communicated about the incident.

President Bush is leaving Tuesday to rally support for the Mideast peace plan in Israel, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and several other countries in the region. He is meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Israel, and with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in the West Bank. Bush will also hook up with his old friend, Quartet Representative Tony Blair.

Bush's agenda is a loaded one. Alongside trying to conjure movement toward the two-state solution in time for his last day in office, Bush will also be discussing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with regional leaders. Iran was going to be a main topic anyway; this weekend's incident ensures he will devote a lot of time to it during his visit.

AFP, Reuters and the Washington Post have previews of Bush's visit.

Posted at 1:51 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Iran, Israel, Middle East, Military, Palestinians, President Bush
Share via