Amid growing spat, US rescues Iran boat from pirates

By Pat Reber and Matt Rusling Jan 6, 2012, 22:04 GMT

Washington - US Naval forces on Thursday rescued an Iranian fishing boat crew that pirates had held hostage for more than a month, adding a new twist to the escalating rhetoric between the US and Iran.

The rescue happened in the early morning hours in the Arabian Sea when members of the John C Stennis Carrier Strike Group suspected that a skiff alongside the Iranian-flagged fishing dhow Al Molai was a pirate skiff, according to a statement from the US Navy.

A Navy search-and-seizure unit boarded the Iranian dhow and overcame 15 suspected pirates who gave no resistance as they were taken into custody, the Navy said. Before boarding, they received a distress call from the ship.

Ironically, the Stennis was the same ship that Iran had warned Tuesday not to return to the Strait of Hormuz - part of the escalating tensions as Iran fights against the prospect of new US sanctions over its nuclear programme. The European Union is also expected to consider an outright oil embargo by the end of January.

In Washington, US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland was unusually animated with enthusiasm over the incident.

'This is an incredible story. This is a great story,' she said. 'The very same ships and set of vessels that the Iranians protested on its last voyage through Hormuz ... just rescued this Iranian dhow from pirates.'

Nuland declined to say if the incident could lower tensions.

'It was obviously a humanitarian gesture on the part of the crew of the Stennis to take them on board and to feed them and to ensure that they were in good health before setting them off,' she said.

The Navy said the hostages had been forced to live under harsh conditions with limited supplies and medical aid and under the threat of violence.

'The Al Molai had been taken over by pirates for roughly the last 40-45 days,' said Josh Schminky, a Navy criminal investigative service agent aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd, in a statement. 'They were held hostage, with limited rations, and we believe were forced against their will to assist the pirates with other piracy operations.'

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is due to visit Latin America next week in a move that observers say comes out of desperation as his country becomes increasingly isolated from the international community.

Nuland also warned Latin American countries not to strengthen ties with Iran.

'We are making absolutely clear to countries around the world that now is not the time to be deepening ties, not security ties, not economic ties, with Iran,' she said.

The pirates were detained until the next morning, when they were transferred to the USS John Stennis, where the matter will be reviewed for prosecution, the Navy said. Piracy is an ongoing problem in the seas off the horn of Africa, which are patrolled by international forces.

Read more about Iran