Saturday 2 July 2016 - 16:40
Story Code : 221302
Why Pentagon wants to punish sailors after Iran seizes US vessel
On Wednesday, the US announced it would punish nine sailors who were involved inthe incident onJanuary 12, when two US patrol boats were detained bythe Iranian Revolutionary Guard inthe Persian Gulf.
According toPentagon officials, the crews actions did not meet the expectations.
However, according tothe results ofthe investigation, eight crew members will face a disciplinary hearing. The ninth member, the captain, was dismissed shortly afterthe incident hence there will be no hearing forhim.
Iranian expert and member ofthe Scientific Council atthe Department ofResearch atTehran University, Fouad Izadi, spoke withSputnik inan interview aboutthe incident and how the US reaction tothe incident was fairly predictable.
Firstly, when inJanuary this incident took place, anti-Iranian rhetoric bymany US officials only intensified. They presented this insuch a twisted way, saying that supposedly American sailors went offcourse and accidentally entered the territorial waters ofIran and the Islamic Republic immediately arrested them, Izadi said.
Some members ofthe Congress even went asfar assaying that if withina few hours the sailors are not released, the United States reserves the right tosave its citizens byresorting tomilitary action againstIran, he added.
In general, the American side demonstrated an extremely aggressive reaction. Now that the situation has changed overtime, it shows what actually happened inJanuary and demonstrates that Iran is not tobe blamed, asit was reacting withinthe framework ofinternational law, according tothe expert.
The perpetrators ofthis incident are the American sailors themselves, forthat they must be punished, Izadi said.
The second point that should be noted is that the United States wants toexercise the utmost strictness onthe US sailors. Talking aboutthe reason behindthis decision, the expert said, When the incident occurred, senior Iranian military officers stated that the US sailors were very upset bywhat had happened, they cried and repented admitting that they made a mistake.
Naturally, this fact puts the US ina spotlight because, the United States likes totalk aboutits power and might and the knowledge ofUS soldiers crying and acting cowardly doesnt correspond well withthe US image.
Therefore, it is understandable that the US Navy decided topunish the nine sailors. This punishment is forshowing weakness inthe moment ofbeing incustody; it can be regarded asa message tothe entire US military, Iazdi said.
Talking abouthow the US would have treated the Iranian sailors if they accidentally sailed close tothe US borders, the analyst said that the US reaction would have been extremely severe and aggressive.
In general it can be concluded that the United States, whether it's building relationships or resolving conflicts withany state, always uses double standards. They always show aggression, rigidity, while demanding the oppositeside toshow condescension and kindness, the expert said.
He further said that even if a country shows restraint and neutrality the US still continuous toapply pressure. In any case, this incident should be a good lesson forthe United States and a reason todo some serious thinking, the expert concluded.
The two US Navy vessels sailing fromKuwait toBahrain were detained onJanuary 18 byIran forunlawfully sailing intoIranian territorial waters. Among the ten arrested crew members there were nine men and one woman.
Iran released a recording inwhich the US sailors are seen ontheir knees withtheir hands behindtheir heads, some ofthem were crying.
The sailors were released after15 hours ofdetention. The incident created a diplomatic row betweenthe two countries, nearly extinguishing the US-Iran nuclear deal atthe final moment.
By Sputnik News
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