US rescues another Iranian ship

The sailors were sent by inflatable boats to an Iranian
Coast Guard ship Tuesday afternoon.

{mosads}The latest rescue happened four days after a U.S. Navy ship captured
Somali pirates who had taken Iranian sailors hostage.

The high-seas helping hand comes after Iran warned U.S. ships not to return to the Persian Gulf and
threatened to close down the Strait of Hormuz.

The threats are being made over U.S. and European economic sanctions against Iran for its nuclear program. While most analysts don’t think Iran could actually shut down the Strait of Hormuz, there are concerns that continued escalation could cause the price of oil to soar and precipitate a military conflict.  

The U.S. Fifth Fleet, which is based in the region, has said it will
stop any Iranian attempts to close down the strait and continue its operations
in the Gulf.

That apparently includes helping out waylaid Iranian
sailors.

The Navy quoted in its press release the Iranian ship owner Hakim
Hamid-Awi, who said: “Without your help, we were dead. Thank you for all that
you did for us.”