Saudi Arabia falsely claims Iran's military 'fires at and seizes US cargo ship'

[cali]

Iranian forces have reportedly fired at and seized a US cargo ship with 34 sailors on board, according to Saudi Arabian state TV.

The vessel has been directed to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas on the southern coast, Al-Arabiya has reported.

It remains unclear why or if the ship was captured, and whether the shots injured anyone on-board, as neither US nor Iranian officials have confirmed the allegations. The US Fifth Fleet off the coast of Bahrain had no immediate comment on the report, according to Reuters.

Iran's semi-official Fars news agency suggested that the ship was trespassing in the Persian Gulf.

<snip>

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/irans-military-seizes-us-cargo-ship-10210291.html

Hope this isn't true.

It's not true. The ship is not a U.S. vessel.

[still_one]

1. If true, what a stupid move on the part of Iran. Are they trying to sabotage the negotiations?

[Jackpine Radical]

4. The move would be so stupid on the face of it

that there has to be a very interesting backstory here. Like, what was in the ship? Arms? Food? And what was its intended destination?

Inquiring minds…

[Nuclear Unicorn]

2. .

[Cali_Democrat]

5. Calm down.

You're not gonna get your war.

It wasn't a U.S. ship.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

7. It wasn't an endorsement for war but you knew that.

[catnhatnh]

3. More info at an earlier post:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141079346

Seems the ship is owned by Maersk and is flagged in the Marshall Islands....So this is a US ship how?

[cali]

6. thanks, I'll update the OP

[Nuclear Unicorn]

8. For what it's worth --

The United States has full authority and responsibility for security and defense of the Marshall Islands.

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/26551.htm

Whatever that entails.

[Lurks Often]

9. The ship is flagged to the Marshall Islands which has a COFA agreement with the US

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_of_Free_Association It was under US control until 1979.

I can see a foreign reporter, in a hurry to get the story out, misunderstanding the relationship between the Marshall Islands and the US.

Even if the ship is flagged under the Marshall Islands, the US will become the country most likely to work with Iran to get the ship back. An argument can be made that under COFA, the US is required to assist the Marshall Islands in retrieving the vessel.

[backscatter712]

10. Inclined to wait until more facts come out.

It may be the ship had a navigation error and came too close to Iran's coastline, in which case what Iran did was perfectly legal.

It'll probably end with negotiations in a 3rd-party nation, followed by a fine, and then the ship and crew will be released.

[tinymontgomery]

11. Looks like the Navy is the USS Farragut over

After receiving a distress signal from the cargo ship, Naval Forces Central Command dispatched the destroyer Farragut to proceed at best speed to the location of the Maersk and has sent a single maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft to observe the situation, Warren said. He did not clarify what that aircraft was, but the Navy counts both the P-3 and P-8 under that designation.




http://www.navytimes.com/story/breaking-news/2015/04/28/iran-intercepts-cargo-ship-us-moving-to-respond/26508145/