How the Pentagon Planted a False Story - by Gareth Porter: "The release reported that the Iranian 'small boats' had 'maneuvered aggressively in close proximity of [sic] the Hopper [the lead ship of the three-ship convoy].' But it did not suggest that the Iranian boats had threatened the boats or that it had nearly resulted in firing on the Iranian boats.
On the contrary, the release made the U.S. warships handling of the incident sound almost routine. 'Following standard procedures,' the release said, 'Hopper issued warnings, attempted to establish communications with the small boats, and conducted evasive maneuvering.'
The release did not refer to a U.S. ship being close to firing on the Iranian boats, or to a call threatening that U.S. ships would 'explode in a few minutes,' as later stories would report, or to the dropping of objects into the path of a U.S. ship as a potential danger.
That press release was ignored by the news media, however, because later that Monday morning, the Pentagon provided correspondents with a very different account of the episode."
On the contrary, the release made the U.S. warships handling of the incident sound almost routine. 'Following standard procedures,' the release said, 'Hopper issued warnings, attempted to establish communications with the small boats, and conducted evasive maneuvering.'
The release did not refer to a U.S. ship being close to firing on the Iranian boats, or to a call threatening that U.S. ships would 'explode in a few minutes,' as later stories would report, or to the dropping of objects into the path of a U.S. ship as a potential danger.
That press release was ignored by the news media, however, because later that Monday morning, the Pentagon provided correspondents with a very different account of the episode."
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