On Monday night, Iran tried to capture a US maritime drone in the waters of the Persian Gulf.
However, timely action by the US Navy forced Iran to abandon its operation, which could have increased US-Iran bilateral tensions otherwise.
American Navy Killed Iran’s Hegemonic Ambitions
Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was in the midway of towing the US maritime drone, Saildrone Explorer when the United States retaliated by sending a USS Thunderbolt coastal ship which forced IRGC operatives to cancel its mission.
Apart from sending the ship, the US Navy also sent an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter to rescue the drone.
According to one defense official, the US Navy also called IRGC to let the drone go, so Iran itself surrendered without any military engagement with the United States.
Iran’s IRGC has seized an American sea drone in the Gulf and tried to tow it away, only releasing the unmanned vessel when a US Navy warship and helicopter approached, US officials say https://t.co/akL79zQTBy pic.twitter.com/zqTP41coV1
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) August 31, 2022
Once the American forces intervened and stopped Iran from taking over the drone, the Iranian vessel disconnected the towline and left the area.
Meanwhile, U.S. forces resumed their operations to recover the drone without any further intervention from Iran.
After the successful attempt to save the drone, the commander of US Naval Forces Central Command, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, noted Iran’s actions were inconsistent with the standards of a professional maritime force.
Cooper further added the United States would continue to operate within the boundaries of international law to protect freedom of navigation in the region.
Video footage appears to show Iran seizing a US Navy sea drone https://t.co/2OorkZU7S1 pic.twitter.com/wr9buITsOZ
— The National (@TheNationalNews) August 30, 2022
Biden Administration Busy Selling American Interests to Iran
Saildrone Explorer did not contain any sensitive information. In fact, the drone contained commercially available technologies of sensors, cameras, and radars that were used for data collection purposes.
This technology is already available in the international market; so the US was not worried about Iran’s ambitions to reverse engineer the technology.
The United States Navy only stopped Iran to maintain credible deterrence in the waters so the Islamic Republic does not try to capture American equipment again.
According to Erik Kurilla, the Commander General of U.S. Central Command, the professionalism of American forces stopped Iran from disturbing American interests in the region.
Likewise, Kurilla asserted Iranian hegemonic ambitions are destabilizing the whole Middle East, which is a worrisome thing for all the neighboring countries as well.
This latest Iran-US tussle came amid heightened tensions over the Iran Nuclear Deal, which the Biden administration has been trying to renegotiate since last year.
American officials have posed optimism over the latest talks, but both countries are still unable to seal the deal.
Republicans are consistently trying to stop the Biden administration from signing a compromised deal with Iran that can put American interests at stake.
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton noted the Biden administration is making a grave mistake by talking with Iran since the deal will bring Iran and Russia closer.
This will strengthen the anti-American alliances worldwide.
This article appeared in Right Wing Insider and has been published here with permission.
