Iran accuses U.S. of staging pirate rescue like a 'Hollywood drama' as military

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Iran accuses U.S. of staging pirate rescue like a 'Hollywood drama' as military

drills escalate in the Gulf

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 9:29 PM on 7th January 2012

Iran accused the U.S. of a media stunt after the American Navy's rescue of 13

Iranian fishermen held by pirates, saying it was staged like a 'Hollywood

drama'.

American officials announced that the fishermen had been rescued by a Navy

destroyer, more than 40 days after their boat was commandeered by suspected

Somali pirates in the northern Arabian Sea.

The rescue came just days after Tehran warned the U.S. to keep the same group of

warships out of the Persian Gulf in a reflection of Iran's fear that America

could try to enforce an embargo against Iranian oil exports.

Iran's hard-line Fars news agency called the rescue operation a Hollywood

dramatisation of a routine event.

The Fars report noted that attacks by Somali pirates in the region were common

and Iran's navy has itself freed many mariners held by pirates in recent years

without seeking to highly publicise it.

However on Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast was quoted as saying by

state TV's Al-Alam Arabic channel: 'The rescue of Iranian sailors by American

forces is considered a humanitarian gesture and we welcome this behavior.'

Amid escalating tension with Iran over its nuclear program, the Obama

administration reveled in delivering the announcement and highlighted the fact

that the rescuing ships were the same ones Iran's army chief had just said were

no longer welcome in the Persian Gulf.

Fars reported: 'Basically, rescuing trading and fishing boats from the hands of

pirates in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden is considered a completely

normal issue.

'A U.S. helicopter filming the rescue operation from the first minute makes it

look like a Hollywood drama with specific locations and actors. It shows the

Americans tried to publicize it through the media and present the American

warship as a savior.'

The semiofficial Fars news agency is considered close to Iran's powerful

Revolutionary Guard military force.

Fars said in April that Iranian naval commandos had driven off pirates

attempting to hijack a supertanker off Pakistan's southwestern coast.

'Iran's navy has rescued various foreign ships from the hands of pirates ... but

never publicized that,' it said.

Naval forces from several countries patrol shipping lanes in the region in

pursuit of Somali pirates. The pirates, who are after huge ransoms, have

dramatically expanded their range in recent years and targeted some of the

largest vessels to take to the seas, including oil supertankers.

The episode occurred after a week of tough talk from Iranian leaders, including

the statement that American vessels were no longer welcome in the Gulf. Iran

also warned it could block the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway through

which a sixth of the world's oil flows to market.

The Iranian threats, which were brushed aside by the Obama administration, were

in response to strong economic sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear

enrichment program. A week ago, President Obama signed into law new sanctions

targeting Iran's central bank and its ability to sell petroleum abroad.

At the same time, Iran has sought to project its naval power, carrying out ten

days of military drills at sea near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

On Saturday, Iran's Revolutionary Guard began new war games near the Afghan

border, according to the Guard's website, sepahnews.com.

Mohammad Pakpoor, commander of the Guard's ground force, said the maneuvers

began outside Khaf, an eastern town near the border. He said the war games were

aimed at strengthening Iran's borders and increasing the combat readiness of the

Guard's ground force.

Iran is also planning new military exercises near the Hormuz Strait next month.