The world watched in disbelief when a suspected Iranian Revolutionary Guard boat circled back to a Japanese tanker in the Strait of Hormuz to retrieve a mine that failed to explode.
The mine was one of two that were placed along the hull the Iranians. Tehran is denying having any involvement in the bombings of several other vessels in international waters off their southern coast.
The U.S. Military video documented the extraction of the mine, and intelligence confirms that the crew of a recently attacked Norwegian ship were being held captive in Iran.
According to U.S. officials, Iranian gunboats surrounded a rescuing ship, the Hyundai Dubai, and ordered they turn over the crew of the damaged ship from Norway.
The 23-person crew of the Norwegian ship was first rescued by the Hyundai Dubai, according to U.S. officials, but Iranian gunboats quickly surrounded the ship and demanded the crew be turned over. The captain ultimately relented and ordered his crew to surrender.
Now congressional Democrats are doubting Iran’s obvious involvement in the ongoing attacks against merchant vessels, and have cast doubt on the U.S. military.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R) questioned his Democratic colleagues in Congress, asserting that they were questioning “the credibility & professionalism of the military officers at U.S. Central Command” who supported the conclusion as to who was behind the attacks.
“Do they believe these career officers are lying?” said Rubio.
One of Rubio’s fellow Republican senators, Sen. David Perdue from Georgia, supports President Trump’s move to pressure Iran, and believes that because the president removed domestic oil supply regulations.
"The one thing the United States has always said is we're going to have open shipping lanes in that region and around the world," said Perdue. "I think Iran has got to see the truth, that we're going to stand up for the precept of free trade and safe sea lanes."
