Editorial: Restraint shows strength

Editorial: Restraint shows strength

When five Iranian gunboats tore through the horizon toward three U.S. warships as they transited the Strait of Hormuz, they endangered lives and could potentially have brought both nations to the brink of war.

But amid disturbing proximity and suspicious packages that appeared to be dropped into the water, the Navy commanders kept their cool.

A video of the encounter provided by the Navy shows sailors calmly, professionally — yet forcefully — telling the Iranians that their course of action could get them in trouble. Our guns were trained on the boats. We were ready to fire.

Thankfully, the Iranians turned around, leaving all further posturing to government officials.

The Jan. 8 edition of the New York Post carried an opinion piece by author and retired Army officer Ralph Peters, who wrote that the U.S. commanders’ decision to hold fire showed weakness on our part and handed the Iranians a propaganda victory. (A condensed version of the piece appears in this week’s Frontlines section.)


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/community/opinion/navy_editorial_iran_080121/



uhc comment: Give it a rest, guys.