US Navy rescues a third Iranian ship

Tensions might be high between Iran and the United States
diplomatically, but in the Arabian Sea, the latter has apparently become a key
ally for distressed Iranian ships.

The U.S. Navy said it rescued an Iranian fishing boat that
was stranded Wednesday, the third time in the past month the U.S. Fifth Fleet
has aided an Iranian vessel.

{mosads}The latest rescue came Wednesday morning after the USS Dewey
helped the crew of a sinking Iranian fishing dhow that had flooded in the
central Arabian Sea, according to a Navy statement.

The latest rescue wasn’t as exciting as the
first one, which occurred earlier this month, when a U.S. Navy team rescued
a 13-person Iranian crew from Somali pirates who had hijacked the ship.

Then four days later, the Navy
rescued an Iranian cargo ship that had flooded.

Flooding was also the problem this time around, as most of
the crew had abandoned the sinking ship. The Dewey then sent a rescue team to
help the displaced crew.

“Once we talked with their captain, it was clear that
they needed food and water,” said Lt. j.g. Jason Dawson, according to the
Navy.

The Navy team provided about 150 pounds of supplies to the Iranian
fisherman.

Iran isn’t likely to be happy to hear about the United States helping
Iranian ships, as Iran threatened U.S. carriers in the Persian Gulf earlier this month in the
midst of its claim it could close the Strait of Hormuz, the key shipping passage into the gulf.

After the USS Stennis left the Persian Gulf through the strait last
month, Iran warned the U.S. carrier to stay out, saying it doesn’t issue
warnings more than once.

The United States has said it will continue its regular operations in
the Persian Gulf and through the Strait of Hormuz.