Iran releases video of naval incident to counter U.S. charge

Iran has released a video to buttress its earlier assertion that the alleged near-confrontation between Iranian speedboats and American warships, as claimed by U.S. authorities, never took place.

In the footage shown by Iran’s Press TV, an Iranian commander in a speedboat is shown establishing radio contact with an American warship. As the communication proceeds normally, the tape shows an American warship on which number 73 is inscribed. Two other U.S. vessels are also visible, while a helicopter hovers overhead. Iran had earlier stated that a recording of the incident shown on a U.S. video was fake, as it was based on file pictures. In that video, an Iranian voice is heard as saying: “I am coming at you; you will explode.” The controversy over the incident, in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, has continued to make headlines during U.S. President George Bush’s ongoing visit to West Asia. The U.S. President stressed that the findings of the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) in December did not alter his stance on Iran.
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