Middle East Focus: Gulfies and the Sea: U.S. Fifth Fleet as an Equal Opportunity Navy…………

Arabia Deserta

Gulfies and the Sea: U.S. Fifth Fleet as an Equal Opportunity Navy…………

Rattlesnake Ridge

BFF

“US ships have, for the second time in a week, rescued a group of Iranians in trouble at sea, the Pentagon has said. US Coast Guard cutter Monomoy picked up six Iranian mariners after their vessel broke down in the Gulf. One of the mariners had suffered burn injuries and was receiving treatment from the Coast Guard, Pentagon spokesman George Little told reporters. The US Navy rescued 13 Iranian fishermen last Thursday after they were captured by Somali pirates. Forces assigned to the John C Stennis aircraft carrier group reacted after receiving a distress call from the Al Molai fishing vessel, which had been boarded by pirates in the Arabian Sea…………”

The U.S. Fifth Fleet may have its regional home in apartheid Bahrain of the al-Khalifa ruling clan, but its operations have expanded recently beyond military matters. It has recently made headlines more for rescuing Iranians from Somali pirates, and from becoming shark food, in the high seas than for warfare. Most Gulf governments have closer more friendly relations (an understatement) with the United States and the U.S. Navy, yet it is almost always Iranians among all Gulfies who get rescued by the navy. There is a reason, unfortunately, for this.

A couple of years ago the Qataris “rescued” some Saudi fishing vessel off their shores, and they arrested the sailors promptly. The U.S. navy did not rescue those, or maybe the ships were not nearby. Even the Saudis did not show much interest in the fate of “their” fishermen, not as much interest is they had in the vessel itself. The reason was that these “Saudi” sailors were not Saudi sailors. There is no such thing as a Saudi sailor anymore, if there ever was such a thing in the Gulf. Those sailors were Asian expatriates who were doing the fishing for the Saudi owners of the vessel. This is the story in all GCC countries these days: native boats, Asian or Egyptian sailors and fishermen. Even in states like Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, traditionally sea-going states unlike the landlubber Saudis. The Saudis, except the people in the Eastern Province, are not really Gulfies, not until very recently.
Cheers
mhg

m.h.ghuloum@gmail.com