Relations between U.S., Iran smooth at sea

Relations between U.S., Iran smooth at sea
By Scott Schonauer, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Tuesday, October 23, 2007


ABOARD THE USS KEARSARGE, Persian Gulf — The United States and Iran have publicly clashed over numerous issues and political tensions between the two adversaries remain high.

But in the crowded Persian Gulf, U.S. and Iranian warships go out of their way to avoid any provocations.

While political leaders for both countries aren’t exactly on speaking terms, sailors on U.S. and Iranian naval ships talk all the time. That’s because the ships often come within miles of each other in the gulf’s international waters.

It can be tense sometimes, but commanders aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge say interactions with Iranian ships are brief and “professional.”

“There’s a lot of banter at the top,” said Cmdr. Virgil Wright, chief staff officer for the Norfolk, Va.-based Kearsarge Strike Group. “But for us, it’s pretty routine. It happens all the time.”

The reason it happens so much is because the gulf is not that big — about 615 miles long and 230 miles at its widest point. Considering the dozens of oil tankers and cargo ships along with warships from various nations sharing the same space, it is easy to see why ship drivers must be alert and able to communicate.


Rest of article at: http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=49707

Looking back through recorded history, you can read amazing examples of camaraderie among soldiers from opposing sides of the battlefield. They tend to understand each other whereas the rulers of nations are usually the morons who get their nations into conflict.

There's no reason to assume the Iranian Navy wouldn't behave professionally at sea, nor is there any reason to believe our (lower-level) Naval officers wouldn't either.