US naval forces rescue Iranian pirate hostages

THE same US aircraft carrier group that Iran warned not to return to the Gulf has rescued 13 Iranians held hostage for weeks by pirates in the Arabian Sea, the Pentagon said yesterday.

It came as Iran announced plans for military exercises in the world’s most important oil shipping lane as new sanctions threaten Tehran’s oil exports. It was the latest move in weeks of militant gestures towards the West,

The rescue operation took place on Thursday, when forces with the USS John C Stennis carrier strike group received a distress call from the master of the Al Molai — an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel — who said he was being held captive by pirates.

The US forces also detected a suspected pirate skiff alongside the Al Molai. The pirates had apparently been using the vessel as a “mother ship” to conduct operations.

“The Al Molai had been taken over by pirates for roughly the last 40-45 days,” Josh Schminky, a US navy criminal investigative service agent aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd, said in a statement.

“They were held hostage, with limited rations, and we believe were forced against their will to assist the pirates with other piracy operations,” he said.

Captain John Kirby said the crew of 15 pirates, all believed to be Somalis, were now being detained aboard the Stennis.

The United States does not have formal diplomatic relations with Tehran, and the State Department said there had been no official communication with Iran about the rescue, which it described as a “humanitarian gesture.”