Limpet Mines in the Gulf

Grey Havoc said:
www.defensenews.com

In a naval confrontation with Iran, Great Britain can find neither ships nor friends

As the United Kingdom faces an Iranian threat to its shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the United States and its other NATO allies have been reluctant to get involved, leaving a diminished and overstretched Royal Navy to its own devices.
www.defensenews.com www.defensenews.com
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As the UK is arranging a European force to patrol the Straits, and do not want to be part of the US multilateral force, the article seems to be making things up in order to make it seem "punchy"
 
starviking said:
As the UK is arranging a European force to patrol the Straits, and do not want to be part of the US multilateral force, the article seems to be making things up in order to make it seem "punchy"
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The European force seems at the moment to be dead on arrival.

marauder2048 said:
Just abolish Flags of Convenience; the European countries that actually own these ships would be more motivated to help.
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You can say that again!
 
gcaptain.com

Stena Bulk Says Iran Detention of UK-Flagged Tanker Unacceptable

LONDON, Aug 6 (Reuters) – The continued detention of British-flagged tanker Stena Impero is “unacceptable and unjustifiable” and there are concerns for the welfare of the crew after 19 days...
gcaptain.com gcaptain.com

www.nytimes.com

U.K. Joins U.S.-Led Effort to Protect Ships in Strait of Hormuz (Published 2019)

Tensions between Britain and Iran have risen since Iran seized a tanker in July. Monday’s decision was an acknowledgment that British efforts to create a European-led task force have proved difficult.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com
www.telegraph.co.uk

UK to form maritime coalition with the US in the Gulf amid growing tensions with Iran

Britain will form a maritime coalition in the Gulf with the United States in order to protect international shipping amid growing tensions with Iran, the Government has announced.
www.telegraph.co.uk www.telegraph.co.uk
www.politico.eu

Britain joins ‘international’ maritime coalition

British statement makes no mention of Operation Sentinel, the name of the US-led coalition the Trump administration is trying to build in the Gulf.
www.politico.eu www.politico.eu
 
shin_getter said:
www.thedrive.com

Fatal Attack On Tanker Off Oman Blamed On Suicide Drone: Report

The attack on the Israeli-operated ship claimed two lives and comes amid a shadowy tit-for-tat maritime campaign being waged by Iran and Israel.
www.thedrive.com www.thedrive.com

www.reuters.com

Israel blames Iran for attack on ship, seeks harsh response

Israel on Friday accused Iran of having carried out an attack off Oman on a tanker managed by an Israeli-owned company and said a harsh response was needed.
www.reuters.com www.reuters.com

www.jpost.com

Sophisticated Iranian drones at fault for Israeli-linked tanker attack

The attack against the Israeli-owned tanker on Friday was carried out by precision-guided drone missiles, and are a step-up in Iran's use of drone warfare.
www.jpost.com www.jpost.com

Iranian source!
www.presstv.ir

Informed sources: Raid on Israeli-managed vessel was retaliation for Israeli raid on Syria

Informed sources have told Al-Alam television that an attack on an Israeli-managed petroleum products tanker off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea that killed two crew members was in response to an Israeli missile attack on Syria that killed two resistance forces.
www.presstv.ir www.presstv.ir
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What would naval war be like, if navies no longer sit in home ports but huddle around shipping chokepoints?

That is where the targets and attackers are after all. Imagine the cluster **** with multiple non-overlapping conflicts, together with a world of neutrals, in the same space and time.
 
The longer it takes to counter this threat, the longer it will go on and the effecton trade will increase. Past time where the talk will have an effect on these attacks. The resources are available just not being used in an effective manner. This could be stopped so why not get it done?
 
dan_inbox said:
Do you really advocate stopping Iran from spreading its rogue nuisance actions?
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While I see the need for agreement in the nuclear power situation, preventing any nation from attacking others should be something we all work towards. So, YES, stop them from carrying out offensive action and ideally castrate the religious paramilitary from their insane conduct towards anyone not doing whatever they want.
 
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TomS said:
Seems like this one got defused. Possibly IRGCN went off on an unauthorized op and the new Iranian gov had to reel them in?

Edit: Or possibly a really badly timed commercial dispute playing out? Interesting thread from editor of Lloyd's List, here:
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A variation on the first possibility would be IRGC proxies who then had to be reeled in.
 
DWG said:
TomS said:
Seems like this one got defused. Possibly IRGCN went off on an unauthorized op and the new Iranian gov had to reel them in?

Edit: Or possibly a really badly timed commercial dispute playing out? Interesting thread from editor of Lloyd's List, here:
Click to expand...

A variation on the first possibility would be IRGC proxies who then had to be reeled in.
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That option seems unlikely to me, based on the geography. This was pretty well up the Gulf of Oman, not off Yemen or the north Persian Gulf, where Iranian proxies are located. Plus, some of the other reported incidents that morning (e.g., M/T Golden Brilliant reporting an incident) seem to be related to UAV operations in the area, possibly in support of the hijacking. That's a lot of coordination to ask of a proxy force.

Occam's razor says it was Iranian national forces.
 
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Just to muddy the waters a bit, here's an interesting analysis of the movements of ASPHALT PRINCESS (AP) in the months before the incident.

https://www.geollect.com/news/mv-asphalt-princess/

AP goes AIS dark quite a bit; more than many other vessels in the region. I am inclined to believe their conclusion that AP is likely engaged in smuggling and/or sanctions evasion. But I'm not sold on her having been a witting participant in yesterday's hijack. I suspect a local Iranian actor caught her smuggling and wanted to send a message to the owner/operators about appropriate profit sharing, but didn't consider how it would play in the larger geopolitical climate. When the new Iranian government in Tehran figured out what was happening, the local authorities were told to stop ASAP, lest they bring down the USN's wrath, which was already likely in motion.

This theory is consistent with the behavior of the AP's crew, which did not sound happy in their radio comms with the Omani authorities and report having sabotaged their engines to prevent their abduction, an act above ad beyond the requirement if it was a staged event. It also fits with Iran's very blustery initial language, since they did not actually have a planned op underway and might credibly assume a false flag. Their later statements that they are still investigating the incident are also credible, because they need to figure out which IRGCN or IRIN district commander they need to hammer for almost getting them into an unplanned shooting war with the USN.

Geollect also shed some light on the "flurry" of vessels reporting "Not under command" via AIS around the time of the incident. It's not a new thing, nor is it a sign of distress. It's a behavior ships use when drifting waiting for a transit time or mooring opportunity. The fact that this got played up in initial reporting is a reminder of the perils of letting non-specialist reporters use specialized tools like AIS trackers without understanding what they are seeing.
 
TomS said:
CENTCOM statement on the MERCER STREET attack describing the forensic evidence that links Iran to that attack. They brought receipts...

www.centcom.mil

U.S. Central Command Statement on the Investigation into the Attack on the Motor Tanker Me

TAMPA, Fla. – Following the July 30, explosive unmanned aerial vehicle attack on the Motor Tanker (M/T) Mercer Street while transiting international waters off the coast of Oman, an expert explosive
www.centcom.mil
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interesting that it doesnt whitewash it with Iranian built, or iranian sourced. Very explicit, it was done by Iran.
 
www.bbc.com

Gulf Sky: 'Our ship was hijacked and taken to Iran'

Former crew of the oil tanker Gulf Sky talk publically for the first time about the ship's disappearance.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
In July 2020, the oil tanker Gulf Sky vanished from waters off the United Arab Emirates, along with its crew. Days later it turned up in Iran where it's now suspected to be working as a "ghost ship" - helping the regime ferry oil in breach of sanctions. For the first time, eight former crew have spoken to the BBC about the ship's disappearance, saying they were hijacked by a group of armed men. All but the captain have asked not to be named, out of fear for their safety and livelihoods.
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