There is a lot of second guessing going on about what happened with last weeks incident between our Navy and some Iranian speedboats in The Straits of Hormuz. Most of this second guessing has come from the left who’s only basis is their dislike for Bush and their belief that he’ll do anything to fire up a war with Iran. None of that of course is based on fact, and in fact.

Over the last couple of days the only real news came from the stories that voice heard on the tape might not have come from the boats but from some other source, possibly on shore. Yet even that doesn’t change the fact that the Iranians are playing a dangerous game and ramping up their confrontations with the US. Former Spook notes:

“True, the Iranian radio call came on a frequency used by commercial and military ships operating in the region. And, without extensive direction-finding (DF) and SIGINT analysis, the traffic can’t be conclusively linked to the speed boats, operated by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

But that doesn’t mean the radio threat didn’t come from an IRGC naval unit. Those Iranian speedboats weren’t out on a joyride; they were dispatched by a higher headquarters–perhaps the IRGC command element in Bandar Abbas–and it’s a safe bet that those authorities were in radio contact with the small craft.

Additionally, if you assume that the Iranians were trying to provoke the U.S. (and their aggressive maneuvering certainly suggests that scenario), then it is quite possible that multiple military elements, including coastal surveillance radars, other naval vessels, anti-ship missile batteries, aircraft, SIGINT asset and command headquarters were involved, to varying degrees. As part of a larger, pre-planned operation, it would be quite easy for another Iranian unit to make a threatening radio call, as the fast boats moved into position.

Tehran also knows that it’s difficult for the U.S. to refute claims of a benign event, because a more detailed discussion would mean reveal intelligence sources and methods. Iran would certainly like to know more about our SIGINT capabilities in the Persian Gulf region, and their account of the incident is an (indirect) attempt to prod us into greater disclosures about Sunday’s incident.

By releasing a vastly different version of events, Tehran can depict the U.S. Navy as a potential aggressor, challenging the administration to release more details on radio and emitter traffic during the event. Learning what we collected–and when we collected it–would be an intelligence windfall for Iran. So far, the U.S. has (rightly) refused to take the bait.”

There was a similiar, yet unreported occurance in December in which case the Iranians were warned off by shots from US vessels. However, the larger question here is that in the second guessing of the intentions of the United States vs. a rogue and very dangerous enemy, run by thug such as Ahmadinejad, who I believe had more than a passing role in the incident.

The real danger here is that we need to get through this “smoke screen” of doubt which is nothing more than Ahmadinejad trying to stir things up in the lead up to elections to show himself “strong” against the west.

The questioning of our purpose and intent especially in such dangerous times as we are in with a ruthless enemy need to be suppressed and immediately rejected. There is no time for such deranged and baseless musings.