US Navy rescues Iranian Sailors

BBC NEWS | Middle East | US Navy rescues Iranian boatmen: "The U.S. Navy's John F Kennedy aircraft carrier despatched helicopters to winch the Iranians to safety after receiving a distress signal from their boat.

The six sailors had a medical check and a meal aboard the US ship before being put on an Iranian boat passing nearby.

The US and Iran do not have diplomatic relations and recent dealings between the two have been marked by suspicion.

The Iranian dhow, named the Naji, had a broken propeller seal which was letting in water, the US Navy spokesman said.

Lt Bill Speaks said he believes the vessel to which the six men were transferred took them to an Iranian port.

The fate of the Naji is not known. - BBC

Good thing it was the U.S. Navy out there instead of the Israeli Navy, otherwise these sailors would have chosen to drown.

Would you be surprised if the Middle Eastern media claimed that we sunk the boat in the first place to stage the mishap for political reasons? I'll have to check Al Jazeera for the story. Either way, we are all certain that the Iranians would have done the same for us if one of our fishing boats sprang a leak. You gotta love us Americans, always the first ones to return a favor! - zzb