Two of the Iranians were rescued from the dhow and four from a life raft tied to the vessel’s stern. By ROBERT BURNS ADVERTISING Associated Press WASHINGTON — A U.S. Coast Guard cutter rescued six Iranian mariners from a vessel
By ROBERT BURNS
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — A U.S. Coast Guard cutter rescued six Iranian mariners from a vessel in distress in the Persian Gulf, the second time in less than a week that the American military has come to the aid of Iranians at sea, an official said Tuesday.
The incident was another reminder of U.S. efforts to demonstrate the humanitarian value of its naval presence in the Gulf, a strategic waterway that the Iranian government has threatened to close in retaliation for international sanctions over its nuclear program.
Last Thursday, the U.S. Navy rescued 13 Iranian fishermen who had been held captive by pirates in the northern Arabian Sea, just outside the Gulf, for more than 40 days. That happened just days after Tehran warned the United States to keep its warships out of the Gulf. The fishermen were sent on their way and the 15 pirates were taken aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis.
Tuesday’s rescue was the fifth time in 14 months that American naval forces have aided Iranians at sea, according to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.
In the latest incident, Pentagon press secretary George Little said the Iranians aboard a cargo boat known as a dhow about 50 miles southeast of the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr used flares and flashlights to hail the cutter Monomoy at 3 a.m. Tuesday.
The vessel’s master indicated that his engine room was flooding and “deemed not seaworthy,” Little said.
Two of the Iranians were rescued from the dhow and four from a life raft tied to the vessel’s stern.
