The West is unaware that in the past 24 hours, there has been a risk of a war between the United States and Iran in the Persian Gulf. An escalation avoided only by a miracle.
The official versions, regarding the story of the sailors kidnapped by Tehran for having violated Iranian territorial waters, speak of a technical failure that occurred in the two small American boats undergoing training. The Iranians, having sensed the accidental and unintended nature of the incident, released the soldiers in less than ten hours.
Those photos of the kneeling sailors who toured the world represent a propaganda victory of unspeakable proportions for the Iranians.
What is ignored is that in the minutes following the arrest of the sailors, the US navy in the Persian Gulf deployed close to the Iranian borders. This was reported by the commander of the Iranian navy, Admiral Ali Fadavi. “After capture, the USS aircraft carriers Harry S. Truman and the French Charles de Gaulle, have begun to operate close to Iranian waters. For 40 minutes, the USS Truman performed unprofessional maneuvers close to our borders ".
The US and France flexed their muscles (as happened recently in North Korea with the low-altitude flight of the B-52) and hinted that the soldiers would never be used as a bargaining chip or detained more than they should. It is also true that the vectors to launch the fighters would not have had the need to go close to the Iranian borders. Two nuclear aircraft carriers off the coast, however, must have had some effect in Tehran.
Fadavi adds "We were ready with our missile launchers to face the Americans, the behavior of the US Navy was provocative, irresponsible and uncontrolled (Fadavi does not mention the Battle Groups placed to protect the two carriers). We immediately used international radio channels to prevent any further moves. Then they realized that the Iranian navy has the last word within its borders. Our sovereignty in the Strait of Hormuz and in the Persian Gulf cannot be called into question ”.
It should be noted that the first reassurances came from the Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, who announced a prompt release after the formalities. "The United States and the French aircraft carrier, with their unprofessional actions, risked a catastrophe, never experienced in the course of their history. If they had not suspended their activities close to our borders, we would have destroyed them".
The Iranians in the past few hours have obtained a historical photo: of the sailors on their knees. Photo that will be used for decades and worth more than a military victory. The Iranians, however, will never show the images of the two aircraft carriers in front of "home" with their relative Battle Groups following.
The Iranians in the past few hours have obtained more than they could have hoped for, but those fifteen ships between aircraft carriers and destroyers deployed (without considering that at least two "boomers" are always ready to cover possible targets in the Region) have undoubtedly left their mark. This the Iranians will never say.
[v. also: "Technical failure" in the Persian Gulf: the "Riverine Command Boat" of the Marines]
(photo: FARS News Agency)
