U.S. Navy Rescues Iranians Who Were Captured by Pirates

[Unbeliever]

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January 6, 2012, 1:00 pm

U.S. Navy Rescues Iranians Who Were Captured by Pirates

By J. DAVID GOODMAN and ROBERT MACKEY

Video released by the Pentagon showed the capture of 15 suspected Somali pirates who had held 13 Iranian fishermen captive for more than a month in the North Arabian sea.

Updated | 4:32 p.m. The United States Navy rescued 13 Iranians whose fishing vessel was seized by Somali pirates more than a month ago in the North Arabian Sea, the Pentagon announced on Friday.

In a conference call with reporters, Rear Adm. Craig S. Faller, the commander of an American carrier strike group patrolling the area, explained that the U.S.S. Kidd, an American destroyer, intercepted the Iranian-flagged Al Molai on Thursday after receiving a distress call. The 15 pirates on board were convinced to lay down their weapons and surrender to a boarding party from the Kidd.

On Friday, after the pirates were transferred to a detention facility aboard the U.S.S. John C. Stennis, an aircraft carrier, the crew of the fishing vessel was provided with food and left for home, wearing U.S.S. Kidd baseball caps.

According to the commanding officer of the Kidd, Cmdr. Jennifer L. Ellinger, the Iranian ship’s master initially told the Americans by radio that there were no pirates on board, but he managed to indicate that he was speaking under duress. Then, in what commander Ellinger interpreted as an attempt to speak to the Americans in a language that the pirates could not understand, the captain of the fishing boat said in Urdu — a Pakistani language derived from Persian — that his crew had been physically abused by the pirates and pleaded for help.

Commander Ellinger said that a helicopter sent from the Kidd to get a closer look at the Iranian-flagged ship spotted the pirates on board and a show of force by the destroyer convinced them to surrender.

Two brief video clips released by the Navy showed the pirates waiting to surrender, with their hands in the air, as an American craft approached the fishing vessel just after noon local time on Thursday.

Commander Ellinger said that the Iranians “were extremely grateful” to the sailors who rescued them.

It was the second time in a week that the carrier, which left the Persian Gulf for the North Arabian Sea late last month, found itself at the center of the news during a tense and very public standoff with Iran. On Tuesday the Iranian military warned that it would take unspecified action if the aircraft carrier returned to the gulf.

The Pentagon said the Iranian crew had been held for 40 to 45 days in harsh conditions by 15 pirates, with limited food and water, as the pirates used the Iranian-flagged Al Molai, as a “mother ship” in further raids. “They were held hostage, with limited rations, and we believe were forced against their will to assist the pirates with other piracy operations,” said Josh Schminky, a Navy Criminal Investigative Service agent.

Coming amid an increasingly pitched war of words between Western powers and Iran, the freeing of the Iranians by soldiers from the very same carrier threatened earlier this week offered the United States an unexpected public relations coup. The military statement included photographs and a video posted to YouTube that showed roughly a dozen men in colorful T-shirts standing at the bow of the fishing vessel with their hands raised high above their heads.

“The captain of the Al Molai expressed his sincere gratitude that we came to assist them. He was afraid that without our help, they could have been there for months,” Mr. Schminky said.

It was not immediately clear by what means the rescued men were being returned to Iran.

The rescue of the Iranians appeared to put the Iranian government in an awkward position as it strikes a defiant posture in the face of new economic sanctions attacking its oil exports. On Thursday, Iranian officials called the intensified efforts to halt Iran’s nuclear program tantamount to “an economic war,” and vowed to conduct a new round of military drills near the Strait of Hormuz.

The Iranian military, fresh off 10 days of naval exercises near the strait that ended this week, said it would hold a new round of war games soon. The defense minister, Brig. Ahmad Vahidi, in comments reported by the semiofficial Fars news agency late Thursday, said the military’s exercises would be “its greatest naval war games” and would occur “in the same region in the near future.”
U.S. NavyAn American guided-missile destroyer, the Kidd, sat near the Iranian-flagged fishing vessel the Al Molai on Thursday.

There is also (some, short) video of it:

[joekrish]

I guess thee over one to the US.

[Hussein]

Thanks USA for this

[manojb]

Poor fishermen, folks back might have thought they dead. Nobody wud have paid ransom either. Is iran patrolling antipiracy mission?

[PteX]

Good job USA.

[Harry_Thomason]

Good news, I wonder why UN does so little against the pirates, guess they unimportant

[IndoUS]

Hope this would cool off some tension between the two.

[Harry_Thomason]

Hope this would cool off some tension between the two.

Since Iran isnt the source of tension, unlikely.

[Loki]

Awesome news!

[Crive]

lol
really lol
do you people know where is aden? what about iran
i dunno how you people believe such thing they counting on lack of knowledge
why and how iranian (from 13 we get that it was not a big ship and just a Lange) lange can sail 1500km for fish! what kind of fish not living here in persian gulf or oman sea that lead them to this decision to sail to Arabian sea!
fisher! really??!!!
its more like drug dealers its fits US military better!
even if such nonsence is true what can probably lead Iranian government that these US have any good intention !
or how our people can believe those who killed 290 civilian in airplane and give medal to the man who shot down our plane have any good intention
we are not idiots.unlike those how can be bought with these little propaganda!

[888jamie888]

lol
really lol
do you people know where is aden? what about iran
i dunno how you people believe such thing they counting on lack of knowledge
why and how iranian (from 13 we get that it was not a big ship and just a Lange) lange can sail 1500km for fish! what kind of fish not living here in persian gulf or oman sea that lead them to this decision to sail to Arabian sea!
fisher! really??!!!
its more like drug dealers its fits US military better!
even if such nonsence is true what can probably lead Iranian government that these US have any good intention !
or how our people can believe those who killed 290 civilian in airplane and give medal to the man who shot down our plane have any good intention
we are not idiots.unlike those how can be bought with these little propaganda!

Ermmm. The article only mentions the North Arabian Sea?? Which, correct me if I'm wrong, is right next to Iran??
Besides, people can migrate to other countries.

[Crive]

Ermmm. The article only mentions the North Arabian Sea?? Which, correct me if I'm wrong, is right next to Iran??
Besides, people can migrate to other countries.

that part has no pirate the most of them are in aden gulf in south of arabian sea
you sea the part they call Arabian sea started atleast from 500 south Iran none of fisher use such lange.
and the part that the pirates live is from 1800 km south of iran to other side in redsea so the second theory makescene a little
and if the came from other countries so whats the point of shouting them "they've been iranian"
its more like a propaganda thing as you can see the deleted my comment which has nothing against rules in yahoo!
so propaganda make scene better that other theories

[PERSIAN GOD KING]

Thanks but this does not change anything.

[Chogy]

Amazing how many Iranians are claiming "Propaganda!!" How about a simple TY? I'd thank Iranian Navy if they rescued U.S. Mariners in distress. It's just simple decency.

[hembo]

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Amazing how many Iranians are claiming "Propaganda!!" How about a simple TY? I'd thank Iranian Navy if they rescued U.S. Mariners in distress. It's just simple decency.

Iran praises 'humanitarian' US Navy
Last Updated: Sunday, January 08, 2012, 08:59


US Navy sailors assigned to the guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd greet a crew member of the Iranian fishing vessel, the Al Molai Friday, Jan 6, 2012 in the Arabian Sea. -- PHOTO: AP

Tehran: Iran has hailed the actions of the US Navy as "humanitarian" after an American warship freed 13 Iranians held by Somali pirates.

"We consider the actions of the US forces in saving the lives of Iranian seamen to be a humanitarian and positive act and we welcome such behaviour," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast was quoted as saying on Saturday by the Al-Alam broadcaster.

The US Navy said in a statement that the guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd, part of the USS John C Stennis aircraft carrier strike group which just departed the Gulf, responded to a distress call from the Iranian boat Al Molai held by Somali pirates for more than 40 days.


A US Navy team from the USS Kidd was taken by a helicopter to the Iranian boat on Thursday. The boat was freed and 15 pirates were detained, Xinhua reported.

The pirates were believed to be Somalis. The Iranians were released after the US Navy restocked and refueled their vessel, said RIA Novosti.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said the campaign against pirates was an "international obligation", and Iran has conducted such operations in the past against pirates to release sailors of other nations, Xinhua reported citing IRNA news agency.

The Iranians were also given food, water and medical care by the US Navy team.


The rescue operation came amid rising tension between the US and Iran, which conducted a 10-day naval exercise dubbed "Velayat 90" starting December 24. The USS John C Stennis was reportedly sent to the Gulf to observe the military drill.