Australian navy repelled Iranian gunboats in 2004

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Australian navy repelled Iranian gunboats in 2004
Fri Jun 22, 2007 5:27AM BST

By Rob Taylor

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australian navy sailors used "colourful
language" and aggressive tactics to repel five Iranian gunboats in
an incident prior to the capture of 15 British sailors in March,
Australian defence officials said on Friday.

Five Iranian Revolutionary Guard gunboats surrounded an Australian
boarding party in the Gulf during a routine stop-and-search of the
cargo boat MV Sham in December 2004.

"Colourful language was the word. As Australians we might well
imagine what (language) was there, but the important thing to note
was that it worked," Royal Australian Navy Commodore Steve Gilmore
told reporters.

-snip-

The Australian commander ordered his sailors back onto the cargo
vessel and into defensive weapons positions in a four-hour
confrontation from which the Iranians eventually backed away.
No shots were fired, Gilmore said.

British media reports have questioned why lessons were not learned
from the Australian incident.

-snip-

Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKSYD14927220070622

[Javaman]

1. "we fart in your general direction!" nt