Farsi Island
Farsi Island (Persian: جزیره فارسی, jazireye Farsi) is one of the Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf. There is an Iranian (IRGC Navy) base on this island. The island has an area of about 0.25 km² and is restricted from the public. Its location is latitude: 27° 58' 59" N (deg min sec), 27.9830° (decimal), 2758.98N (LORAN) and longitude: 50° 10' 59" E (deg min sec), 50.1830° (decimal), 05010.98E (LORAN). Its maximum elevation is 4 meters.
In the late 1980s, during the "Tanker War" phase of the Iran-Iraq war, Iran's IRGC used speedboats to launch attacks on vessels from the Farsi Island.[1] As the shipping of Kuwaiti oil, an Iraqi ally, was under threat, US officially entered Persian gulf to protect Kuwaiti shipping. Iran, which didn't want US to be dragged in the war on the side of Iraq, planted naval mines near the Farsi Island on the route of the very first convoy consisted of US navy vessels and the Kuwaiti oil tanker Bridgeton, which successfully hit Bridgeton itself.
On January 12, 2016, Iran's Revolutionary Guards' Navy stationed at the island apprehended two small vessels and their 10 U.S. Navy sailors after the latter entered into Iranian waters.[2] The incident, as expected for such a scenario, prompted talks between the Iranian Foreign Ministry and the U.S. State Department regarding their release.[3] All 10 sailors and their vessels were released unharmed the following morning.[4]
External links
Low resolution satellite imagery on Flash Earth
References
- ↑ "Iranian boat attack tanker in Gulf" (page A22). Washington Post. July 26, 1988.
- ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/15/world/middleeast/us-navy-iran.html?_r=0
- ↑ http://www.ibtimes.com/iran-us-navy-dispute-live-updates-iranian-military-holds-10-american-sailors-irans-2262162
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-35300019
Coordinates: 27°59′N 50°10′E / 27.99°N 50.17°E
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