What-Happened in the Persian-Gulf?

Doubts have intensified over the nature of an alleged aggressive confrontation by Iranian patrol boats and American warships in the Persian-Gulf.

The Persian Gulf was the focus of the Iraq-Iran War that lasted from 1980 - 88.

It has similarities with the incident in 88, when in the same Strait of Hormuz, the USS Vincennes shot-down an Iranian civilian-airliner.

Iranian version
The Iranians have issued their own video, in which one of their sailors, in a much higher and quite different voice from the one which issued the "warning", asks the US ships who they are and what course they are on.

He gets a dusty reply that the US vessels are in international waters.

Beyond the propaganda
Tensions between Iran and the US have diminished recently following the US National Intelligence Estimate that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon.

There are still serious points of potential-conflict between the two, with Iran always determined to exert its influence in the region.

Via BBC/Guardian-Unlimited