Source: VOA
For the second time in a week, the U.S. military says its
forces in the Persian Gulf region have come to the rescue of Iranian sailors
aboard a distressed vessel.
In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy, the Iran-flagged,
Ya-Hussayn, takes on water in the Persian Gulf, January 10, 2012. |
The latest rescue of Iranians at sea comes as the Pentagon
seeks to publicize the good that U.S. forces do while patrolling the Persian
Gulf region.
Pentagon spokesman George Little said Tuesday that the crew of a U.S. Coast
Guard cutter rescued the mariners after getting distress signals from the
Iranian cargo vessel Ya-Hussayn.
"It was hailed by flares and flashlights from the Iranian
cargo dhow and the dhow's master requested assistance from the cutter indicating
that the engine room was flooding and deemed not seaworthy," said Little.
An Iranian mariner greets a U.S. Coast Guardsmen on Monomoy.
The U.S. Navy says the U.S. Coast Guard
transferred the Iranian crewmembers to safety aboard the U.S. cutter Monomoy. A
Navy statement quotes the owner of the Iranian vessel as thanking the U.S.
seamen for rescuing the sailors, saying that without the Americans' help, they
would be dead.
It was the second time in a week the Pentagon has reported the
rescue of Iranian seafarers by U.S. ships. Last Thursday, the U.S. Navy rescued
13 Iranian fishermen who had been captured by Somali pirates in the northern
Arabian Sea.
After being fed and provided blankets and water - as well as
Halal meals - the Iranians were transferred to an Iranian coast
guard vessel, the Naji 7 |
U.S. military officials say such rescues happen
on an almost daily basis anywhere in the world where American warships are on
patrol. The Pentagon, however, is lately calling attention to those involving
Iranian nationals, especially as tensions rise between Iran and Washington over
the presence of U.S. forces in the region.
Iran last week warned the United States not to return a nuclear-powered U.S.
aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf. Tehran recently conducted a series of war
exercises at sea and threatened to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a move that
could disrupt world oil supplies.
U.S. defense officials rejected the warning and American ships continue to
patrol the area.
Iran has increased its anti-American rhetoric in the past few weeks, as new
economic sanctions start to bite on the country. The United States has added
tough new restrictions on doing business with Iran, as part of an effort to push
Tehran to abandon its nuclear programs, which Washington suspects are being used
to create a nuclear bomb.
European nations also may add sanctions, since Iran refuses to give up its
nuclear program, which it says is for civilian use only.
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