dag hammarsjkold wrote:to be more specific, this situation......

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/13/world/middleeast/iran-holds-us-navy-boats-crew.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

danivon wrote:Stupid question:

If a couple of boats with Iranian service personnel were to drift into US waters, what would the US coastguard do?

danivon wrote:Stupid question:

If a couple of boats with Iranian service personnel were to drift into US waters, what would the US coastguard do?

If a couple of boats with Iranian service personnel were to drift into US waters, what would the US coastguard do?

Once the sailors were released, AP reported, “In Washington, a defense official said the Navy has ruled out engine or propulsion failure as the reason the boats entered Iranian waters.”

Take pictures of the Iranian sailors surrendering to us.

rickyp wrote:danivon

If a couple of boats with Iranian service personnel were to drift into US waters, what would the US coastguard do?

What if the vessels weren't "drifting"?

Once the sailors were released, AP reported, “In Washington, a defense official said the Navy has ruled out engine or propulsion failure as the reason the boats entered Iranian waters.”

Diplomacy has averted any repercussions from the incident.

But whats really worth reviewing is how the US media treated the incident. Versus how it treated the recent Turkish army shooting down two Russian planes. Or, if you want to go back to a dark incident , how the Vincennes shooting down of an Iranian airliner in 1988 was treated in the Media....

The pictures of the American sailors reminded me of the way many police in the US often demand compliance from people they've stopped. Worried about a gun being pulled on them ...they treat a lot of innocent people in this fashion until they've ascertained that the situation is safe.

Why wouldn't Iranian sailors also be worried for their safety in the same way? They've just stopped armed American vessels operating in Iranian waters ... where they simply shouldn't be. Shouldn't the Iranians be prepared for violence?

Seems to me that there was nothing unreasonable in the "traffic stop".
And everything good about the normalization of affairs between the two nations. The last time British sailors got themselves in this situation the Iranians kept them for 13 days.

Fate
.

Take pictures of the Iranian sailors surrendering to us.

Your saying that this is not something the US military has done repeatedly?

Iran has released four imprisoned U.S. citizens, including Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, as part of a swap, the office of Tehran’s prosecutor announced Saturday, according to Iranian news media.

The other released prisoners include Amir Hekmat, a former U.S. Marine, and Saeed Abedni, a pastor, and a fourth unnamed American. All four are dual U.S.-Iranian citizens. Rezaian has been held since 2014.

According to Iran’s Fars News Agency, the four were ordered released in exchange for six Iranian-Americans held in the United States on sanctions-related charges.

Turkey shot down Russian planes in a war zone. We are not at war with Iran

I would ask what right, legally, the Iranians had to board the US ship?

Any officer of the customs may at any time go on board of any vessel or vehicle at any place in the United States or within the customs waters or, as he may be authorized, within a customs-enforcement area established under the Anti-Smuggling Act [19 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.], or at any other authorized place, without as well as within his district, and examine the manifest and other documents and papers and examine, inspect, and search the vessel or vehicle and every part thereof and any person, trunk, package, or cargo on board, and to this end may hail and stop such vessel or vehicle, and use all necessary force to compel compliance.
(b) Officers of Department of the Treasury
Officers of the Department of the Treasury and other persons authorized by such department may go on board of any vessel at any place in the United States or within the customs waters and hail, stop, and board such vessel in the enforcement of the navigation laws and arrest or, in case of escape or attempted escape, pursue and arrest any person engaged in the breach or violation of the navigation laws.

Officers do not pull weapons on unarmed, innocent people who have done nothing wrong and pose no potential threat

Please tell me how the Iranians stopped the Americans. Go ahead

Have we? During peace time?

Prisoners of war must at all times be humanely treated. … [P]risoners of war must at all times be protected, particularly against acts of violence or intimidation and against insults and public curiosity

And, if the Iranians had done that to the Americans it would have cost them $150B

So says Neville Chamberlain

rickyp wrote:bbauska

So says Neville Chamberlain

Ron (trust but verify) Reagan signed nuclear non-proliferation treaties with Russia. Was he giving in to them too?

rickyp wrote:Fate

Turkey shot down Russian planes in a war zone. We are not at war with Iran

Neither is Turkey at war with Russia.

Nor was Iran and the US at war when the Vincennes shot the Iranian passenger jet out of the sky.

Fate

I would ask what right, legally, the Iranians had to board the US ship?

Since they were in Iranian waters, probably every right according to Iranian law.

If Iranian law is anything like American law. Which follows:

Any officer of the customs may at any time go on board of any vessel or vehicle at any place in the United States or within the customs waters or, as he may be authorized, within a customs-enforcement area established under the Anti-Smuggling Act [19 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.], or at any other authorized place, without as well as within his district, and examine the manifest and other documents and papers and examine, inspect, and search the vessel or vehicle and every part thereof and any person, trunk, package, or cargo on board, and to this end may hail and stop such vessel or vehicle, and use all necessary force to compel compliance.
(b) Officers of Department of the Treasury
Officers of the Department of the Treasury and other persons authorized by such department may go on board of any vessel at any place in the United States or within the customs waters and hail, stop, and board such vessel in the enforcement of the navigation laws and arrest or, in case of escape or attempted escape, pursue and arrest any person engaged in the breach or violation of the navigation laws.

Fate

Officers do not pull weapons on unarmed, innocent people who have done nothing wrong and pose no potential threat

There are examples of this all over the Internet Fate.

But lets first clear up the unarmed innocent people expression.
This was an armed vessel, who were in Iranian territory without permission. The Iranians therefore had every right to interdict them. And forcibly stop them, if their law mirrors US law.
And the Iranian sailors had every right to take precautions to ensure that the US sailors did not use their weapons to resist.

Fate

Please tell me how the Iranians stopped the Americans. Go ahead

Why does this matter? They have the legal right to use force since the American vessels were in their space and not on the High Seas.

Fate

Have we? During peace time?

yes. All the time. From Viet Nam through to Abu Gharib and Guantanomo there have been pictures of prisoners being abused

This is more like a police take down, and we see them all the time ...